
Under the direction of HERBERT E. GREGORY 



Prepared in cooperation with the 
Connecticut State Geological and Natural History Surrey 






WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

1916 



/ 



DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
Franklin K. Lane, Secretary 



United States Geological Survey 

George Otis Smith, Director 



Water-Supply Paper 397 



GROUND WATER IN THE WATERBURY AREA 

CONNECTICUT 



BY 

ARTHUR J. ELLIS 
Under the direction of HERBERT E. GREGORY 




Prepared in cooperation with the 
Connecticut State Geological and Natural History Surrey 




WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1916 



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D. of D. 
FEB 9 1916 



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CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Introduction 7 

Geology 9 

Crystalline rocks 9 

Glacial drift 10 

Source and occurrence of ground water 10 

Origin 10 

Water in the glacial drift 11 

Circulation 11 

The water table 12 

Amount of water 14 

"Water in crystalline rocks 17 

Ground water for municipal use 17 

Problems involved 17 

Quantity required 18 

Quality of water 19 

Methods of obtaining water 20 

Streams - 20 

Springs 21 

Drilled wells 21 

Dug wells 22 

Infiltration galleries 23 

Driven wells 23 

Plant at Brookline, Mass 24 

Plant at Brooklyn, N. Y 26 

Plant at Plainfield, N.J 27 

Ground waters for private use 29 

Methods of developing ground- water supplies. 31 

Drilled wells 31 

Construction 31 

Cost 32 

Quality of water 32 

Improvements 33 

Driven wells 33 

Infiltration galleries 35 

Dug wells ! 36 

Descriptions of towns 39 

Ansonia 39 

Population and industries 39 

Topography 39 

Water-bearing formations 40 

Surface-water supplies 40 

Ground-water supplies 41 

Public water supplies 41 

Records of wells 42 

3 



4 CONTENTS. 

Descriptions of towns — Continued. p age . 

Beacon Falls 43 

Population and industries 43 

Topography 43 

Water-bearing formations 43 

Surface-water supplies 44 

Ground-water supplies .. 44 

Public water supplies 45 

Records of wells and springs 45 

Middlebury 46 

Population and industries 46 

Topography 46 

Water-bearing formations 47 

Ground-water supplies 47 

Records of wells and springs 47 

Naugatuck 49 

Population and industries : 49 

Topography 49 

Water-b earing formations 49 

Surface-water supplies 50 

Ground-water supplies 50 

Public water supplies 50 

Records of wells 51 

Oxford 51 

Population and industries 51 

Topography 52 

Water-bearing formations 52 

Surface-water supplies : 53 

Ground-water supplies 53 

Records of wells and springs 54 

Seymour 55 

Population and industries . . '. 55 

Topography 56 

Water-bearing formations 56 

Surface-water supplies 57 

Ground-water supplies 57 

Public water supplies 57 

Records of wells and springs 58 

Thomaston. . , 59 

Population and industries 59 

Topography 60 

Water-bearing formations 60 

Surface-water supplies 60 

Ground-water supplies 60 

Public water supply 61 

Records of wells 61 

Waterbury 62 

Population and industries 62 

Topography 63 

Water-bearing formations 63 

Surface-water supplies 63 

Ground-water supplies 63 

Public water supply 64 

Records of wells and springs 66 



CONTENTS. 

Descriptions of towns — Continued. Page. 

Watertown 67 

Population and industries 67 

Topography 68 

Water-bearing formations 68 

Ground-water supplies 68 

Public water supply 69 

Records of wells and springs 70 

Index 73 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Page. 
Plate I. A, Bowlder-strewn landscape in till-covered area, Ansonia, Conn.; 

B, Stratified beds of coarse sand, Ansonia, Conn 10 

II. A, Stratified sand and gravel, Naugatuck Valley, Seymour, Conn.; 
B, Crystalline rock (Hartland schist), showing fissures which at 
greater depths afford water supplies, Naugatuck, Conn 18 

III. Map of Waterbury area, Conn x In pocket. 

IV. Plan of property and detail of wells, water supply of Plainfield, N. J.. 

1891 34 

Figure 1. Map of Connecticut, showing physiographic provinces, geologic 

formations, and areas covered by this and previous reports 8 

2. Section across Naugatuck River valley below Waterbury, showing 

relation of bedrock surface to land surface 12 

3. Diagrammatic section showing position and fluctuation of water 

table under various conditions 13 

4. Section showing relation of water table to surface of ground 14 

5, 6, 7. Diagrams showing possible artesian conditions in Connecticut 15, 16 

8. Curves showing yield of drilled wells 30 

9. Diagram of driven well 34 

10. Sketch showing siphon well and domestic waterworks 38 



GROUND WATER IN THE WATERBURY AREA, 

CONNECTICUT. 



By Arthur J. Ellis. 



INTRODUCTION. 

The Waterbury area comprises a section of west-central Connecticut 
approximately 25 miles long, 7 miles wide, and 171 square miles in 
extent, reaching from Housatonic River northward to Thomaston 
and including the lower part of the Naugatuck Valley, its east and 
west borders coinciding approximately with the divides between 
the Naugatuck and other rivers. Within it are the towns of Ansonia, 
Seymour, Oxford, Beacon Falls, Naugatuck, Middlebury, Waterbury, 
Watertown, and Thomaston. (See fig. 1.) 

Topographically the area consists of a troughlike valley with narrow 
floor, intersected by narrow valleys of streams tributary to the 
Naugatuck. At some places bare rock cliffs rise from the edges of the 
river to heights of more than a hundred feet; at other places, where 
tributaries enter, the lowlands are a mile or more in width. The lowest 
land, on Naugatuck River, where it crosses the south line of Ansonia, 
is only 18 feet above sea level; the highest, on Lattin Hill near the 
north boundary of Thomaston, is 1,022 feet above sea level. 

Naugatuck River flows southward through the entire length of the 
Waterbury area, having a total fall within the area of about 400 feet. 
It receives a number of small but important streams between Thomas- 
ton and Ansonia, notably the West Branch of the Naugatuck, Mad 
River, Steel Brook, Long Meadow Pond Brook, Little River, and 
Bladens River. A small part of the drainage passes directly into 
Housatonic River above the mouth of the Naugatuck, and Eightmile 
Brook, which collects the drainage in the southwestern part of the 
area, is also tributary to the Housatonic. 

The excellent water-power sites along the Naugatuck invited 
settlers into that valley very early in the history of the State, and 
the growth of industrial enterprises, although somewhat slow at 
first, has been very rapid during the last few decades. The manu- 
facture of brass articles and general foundry work rank first among 
the industries, and in these as well as nearly all others water power has 
played an important part. But water is needed not only for power 
but for other industrial purposes as well as for municipal supplies, 

7 



GROl'Nl. WATER IN WATERBURY AREA, CONN. 



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GEOLOGY. 9 

and with the increase and diversification of population and indus- 
tries conflicts of interest have arisen — conflicts between water-power 
users and domestic consumers, between towns for the right to 
make use of a given stream or area; and between cities interested 
In sewage disposal and adjacent communities affected thereby. 
Industrial development inevitably taxes the natural water resources 
of a community, and although investigations of the local water 
problems may aid in formulating methods for conserving the use 
of water, it is necessary that State-wide regulations, following intel- 
ligent legislation, should be adopted to provide for the future. 

GEOLOGY. 

CRYSTALLINE ROCKS. 

The area is underlain by crystalline rocks of undetermined age, 
which have been classified according to lithologic characteristics 
into the formations x described in the following paragraphs: 

1. Orange phyllite. — This rock is a slate or phyllite, highly fissile, 
sericitic, and usually dotted with minute garnets. It is character- 
ized by many quartz veins and lenses of quartz. It is believed to 
have been originally a more or less calcareous shale. 

2. TJiomaston granite gneiss. — This rock varies in structure from 
an almost massive granite to a rock with distinctly schistose phases. 
It is of igneous origin, as shown by the fact that it often occurs as 
dikes and includes fragments of other rocks. 

3. Hoosac ^TLartiand") schist. — This formation is everywhere 
a mica schist of well-marked character, but exhibits great variation 
in texture, composition, and appearance, due to large intrusions of 
igneous rock. It is of sedimentary origin. The "Hartland" schist 
of Connecticut has been traced into the Hoosac schist of Massachu- 
setts, and the name "Hartland" has been abandoned by the United 
States Geological Survey in favor of the older name Hoosac. The 
Hoosac schist is regarded as of Ordovician age. 

4. Waterbury gneiss. — This gneiss was doubtless originally Hoosac 
("Hartland") schist, whose texture has been changed by granitic 
intrusions and quartzose veins. 

5. Prospect granite gneiss. — This is a light-gray granitic rock whose 
gneissoid appearance is produced by bands of granular quartz and 
feldspar interbedded with layers composed chiefly of biotite. The 
porphyritic mineral is usually white or pink orthoclase in crystals 
ranging in length from one-sixteenth inch to 3 inches. The rock was 
probably a granite porphyry intruded into the Hoosac schist. 

1 Rice, W. N., and Gregory, H. E., Manual of the geology of Connecticut: Connecticut State Geol. and 
Nat. Hist. Survey Bull. 6, pp. 96-110, 1906. Gregory, H. E., and Robinson, H. H., Preliminary geologic 
map of Connecticut: Connecticut State Geol. and Nat. Hist. Survey Bull. 7, pp. 33, 34, and map, 1907. 

The retention in this economic report of the geologic names used in the reports published by the State 
does not imply their adoption by the United States Geological Survey, and all are subject to revision, 
except Hoosac schist, which has been adopted. 



lu 



GROUND WATEB l.\ WATERBUKV AREA, CONN, 



6. AmphiboUte. — Tliis rock is distinctly gneissoid in structure, mid 
i> composed in large part of porphyritic feldspar and green horn- 
blende, with a subordinate amount of quartz. 

7. Diabase. — This rock is a colored trap occurring as dikes intruded 
into the older crystalline rocks. It is probably of Triassic age. 

GLACIAL DRIFT. 

The crystalline rocks are covered by deposits of glacial drift derived 
from the great ice sheets which in the Pleistocene epoch extended over 
the State. They are of two general types: The unstratified drift, also 
called "till," which consists of heterogeneous mixtures of all the rock 
debris deposited directly by the ice; and the stratified drift, which 
consists of glacial materials that were rehandled by water and are 
therefore assorted into layers of different degrees of coarseness. Till 
constitutes the surface deposits over most of the highland areas, and 
stratified drift is found chiefly in the stream valleys. 

SOURCE AND OCCURRENCE OF GROUND WATER. 

ORIGIN. 

The ground water of the Waterbury area is derived from the precipi- 
tation within the area and near its borders. Owing to the ruggedness 
of the bedrock surface and the thinness of the overlying drift, which 
together prevent an extensive underground circulation, the ground 
water of any particular locality is derived from very local sources. 

Owing to the small size of the area, the precipitation is evenly 
distributed, and, as shown in the following table, is nearly uniform 
throughout the year. 

Rainfall in Waterbury from 1887 to 1912, inclusive. 
[Recorded by N. J. Walton.] 



Year. 


Jan. 


Feb. 


Mar. 


Apr. 


May. 


June. July. 


Aug. 


Sept. 


Oct. 


Nov. 


Dec. 


Total. 


1887 

1SSS 

1S89 

1890 

1891 

1892 


4.75 
4.73 
5. 85 
2.54 

10.06 
6.01 
2.96 
2.68 
4.86 
2.37 
4.58 

•5.09 
3.82 
3.77 
1.78 
3.43 
3.78 
4.45 
6.51 
2.79 
3.45 
4.72 
3.83 
8.05 
2.99 
2.36 


6.07 
5.11 
1.61 
3.77 
5.65 
1.30 
7.37 
4.13 
1.92 
9.25 
3.48 
3.49 
4.58 
8.46 
.55 
6.67 
4.32 
2.54 
1.50 
2.29 
2.52 
6.86 
6.15 
4.27 
2.81 
3.20 


4.24 
6.46 
2.02 
6.08 
5.08 
3.45 
4.83 
1.43 
2.58 
5.99 
2.67 
2.47 
6. 75 
5.51 
7.44 
5.56 
6.45 
3.74 
3.59 
5.97 
1.53 
3.07 
4.36 
1.16 
3.69 
7.87 


3.94 
1.78 
4.29 
2.43 
3.86 
.95 
3.49 
3.16 
3.85 
1.83 
1.97 
3.67 
1.80 
2.23 
11.51 
4.11 
3.38 
4.50 
2.85 
4.30 
2.77 
2.65 
7.97 
4.08 
3.75 
4.38 


0.13 
4.13 
4.64 
5.97 
1.84 
5. 55 
6.44 
7.58 
1.96 
2.34 
5.34 
6.86 
2.07 
4.39 
8.08 
2.01 

.73 
3.31 
1.27 
3.74 
3.87 
5.85 
2. S3 
2.95 

.87 
5.51 


6.60 
1.55 
4.09 
3.26 
1.14 
2.27 
1.83 

.54 
2.82 
5.71 
3.77 

.94 
2.32 
3.02 

.65 
5.16 
11.25 
4.20 
4.22 
4.83 
4.37 
1.10 
3.11 
3.30 
3.33 

.91 


3.79 
2.73 

10.83 
4.96 
4.17 
4.37 
3.31 
2.43 
3.73 
3.16 

18.10 
3.37 
6.02 
3.10 
4.44 
4.58 
3.71 
4.62 
4.20 
5.49 
2.29 
6.53 
1.56 
3.04 
4.54 
3.63 


5.64 
4.53 
2.76 
4.50 
3.04 
5.30 
7.22 
2.41 
7.29 
2.67 
3.51 
9.48 
1.03 
2.09 
9.37 
2.82 
0.36 
4.93 
5.65 
2.71 
1.35 
6.53 
3.47 
3.16 
8.11 
3.12 


1.68 
7.57 
4.26 
4.98 
1.68 
2.62 
1.7.5 
5.35 
2.16 
5.01 
2.18 
2.52 
5.30 
2.15 
6.25 
6.42 
3.02 
8.02 
4.27 
1.92 
9.82 
1.39 
4.51 
2.56 
2.24 
2.34 


2.97 
4.72 
4.03 
6.89 
3.04 

.92 
5.21 
4.91 
5.19 
2.77 
1.08 
5.82 
2.42 
3.59 
4.32 
6.19 
4.77 
3.05 
2.50 
6.26 
5.89 
2.43 
1.17 

.98 
8.27 
3.52 


2.25 
4.42 
8.74 
0.93 
3.33 
5.96 
2.49 
4.30 
5.22 
3.09 
6.00 
7.57 
1.69 
5.96 
2.37 
1.34 
2.30 
1.59 
1.72 
2.18 
5.69 
1.14 
1.89 
5.40 
4.48 
3.97 


5.20 
5.84 
2.74 
5.21 
5.71 
1.74 
4.08 
4.21 
3.83 
2.39 
5.99 
3.86 
2.81 
2.56 
9.82 
6.92 
4.37 
3.28 
3.72 
4.13 
5.81 
3.75 
4.83 
2.21 
3.44 
4.64 


47.26 
53.57 
55.86 
51.52 
48.60 
40.44 


1893 


50.97 


1894 

1895 

1S96 

1897 


43.13 
45.41 
46.58 
58.67 


1898 


55.14 


1899 


40.61 


1900 


46.83 


1901 


66.58 


1902 


55.21 


1903 


54.44 


1904 


48.23 


1905 


42.03 


1906 


46.61 


1907 


49.36 


1908 


46.02 


1909 


45.68 


1910 


41.16 


1911 


4i 52 


1912 


45.45 






Average 


4.31 


4.23 


4.38 


3.67 


3.86 


3.32 


4. 72 | 4. 58 


3.92 


3. 96 | 3. 69 


4.35 


48.99 



a From Waterbury City Engineer's Ann. Rept., 1912. 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 397 PLATE 



■«-•- '%- 



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A. BOWLDER-STREWN LANDSCAPE IN TILL-COVERED AREA, ANSONIA, CONN. 




B. STRATIFIED BEDS OF COARSE SAND, ANSONIA, CONN. 



OCCURRENCE OF GROUNB WATEB. 11 

WATER IN THE GLACIAL DRIFT. 
CIRCULATION. 

The chief water-bearing formations of the Waterbury area arc, the 
unconsolidated materials that cover the bedrock. These materials 
absorb rain water at a rate and to an extent depending chiefly on 
their porosity. The most porous beds are composed of gravel and 
sand, the least porous of compact clays. The unstratified drift, which 
covers most of the area, is a mixture of bowlders, gravel, sand, and 
clay, and its porosity depends on the relative amounts of these 
materials. (See PI. I.) Much of the unstratified drift is of the 
"stony" or "bowldery" type, which contains practically no clay and 
which possesses a porosity equal to that attained by coarse varie- 
ties of stratified drift. The less porous types of unstratified drift 
may be represented by the following averages of the analyses of 16 
samples collected from 12 drumhns in the Boston basin. 1 These 
analyses were made after removing all stones 2 inches or more in 
diameter, which constituted about 10 per cent of the original material. 

Average composition of unstratified drift in Boston basin. 

Per cent. 

Gravel 24.90 

Sand 19. 51 

Rock flour 43. 86 

Clay (three-fourths rock flour) 11. 67 

99.94 

Other factors influencing the amount of water absorbed are the 
growth of vegetation, the topography, the occurrence and duration 
of frost in the ground, and the atmospheric conditions that govern 
evaporation and rates of precipitation. 

The water absorbed by the soil descends and saturates the lower 
part of the glacial drift, which serves as a reservoir for the storage 
of this water. The efficiency of the drift in this respect depends 
largely on the rate of underground drainage, the three principal 
factors of which are porosity, the arrangement of layers having 
different porosities, and the topography of the bedrock on which 
the water-bearing bed rests. The most porous beds, such as the 
gravels of the Naugatuck River valley (PL III, in pocket), absorb water 
most rapidly, but they also allow the water to circulate most freely 
and therefore are most rapidly drained. Impervious materials, 
such as clays, occurring among porous deposits are related to under- 
ground drainage as dams or other obstructions arc related to surface 
drainage. They divert or impound the percolating waters and in 
many places produce springs and swamps. Except where the drift 
is thick, the topography of the bedrock below the water-bearing beds 

• Crosby W O., Composition of tfU or bowlder otay: Borton 8oc Nat. Hist Proc, vol. », p. 194,1880, 



12 



GROUND WATER IN WATFRBT'RY AREA, CONN. 



£ O/V 77J,U 



is related to underground drainage as the topog- 
raphy of the land is related to surface drainage. 
Over most of the Waterbury area the drift is thin 
and the topography of the bedrock surface closely 
conforms to the present topography of the land 
surface, except that it is more rugged and has 
greater relief. The bedrock usually outcrops on 
« the hilltops and steep slopes (PL III) but lies at 
t considerable depths in some of the valleys, for ex- 
% ample, in the Naugatuck Valley near Waterbury, 
| where bedrock is reached at a depth of more than 
g 100 feet below the river (fig. 2). Because of the 
"g similarity between the forms of the rock surface 
g and the surface of the ground the direction of un- 
^ ■§ derground drainage corresponds very closely to 
o •£ the direction of surface drainage. The ground 
| water, like the surface water, flows most rapidly on 
| steep slopes, but because of the resistance offered 
.1 by the soil particles it moves much more slowly 

than the surface water and is generally replenished 
£ by rainfall before the supply contributed by pre- 

1 vious precipitation has been drained away. Most 
| of the ground water finds its way to the surface 
g through the flow of springs and seepage areas, by 

2 capillary rise and evaporation, and by transpira- 
s tion of trees and other plants; a comparatively 
> small amount is drawn from wells. 

S3 

> 

5 THE WATER TABLE. 

M 

o 

| The water table is the plane below which the 
I ground is saturated with water. Its topography is 
1 similar to that of the land surface but less rugged. 
1 Consequently it is generally nearest the land sur- 
I face in the valleys and farthest from the surface on 
1 the hilltops, where it may lie at a depth of 30 or 40 
jj feet. The surfaces of streams, ponds, and lakes 
S are generally continuous with the water table and 
| may be regarded as forming parts of it. In bogs, 
marshes, and other places where the ground is sat- 
urated to the surface, the water table and the sur- 
face of the ground coincide. Where the water table 
is not exposed its position is shown by the surface 
of the water in wells. The position of the water 
table depends also on the character of the drift. 
Except in very low places it is, in general, nearer 
tho surface in areas where the drift consists of clay 



?, J 



OCCURRENCE OF GROUND WATER. 



13 



or compact till, and farther below 
the surface in areas where the drift 
is gravel and sand, because clay and 
till are less porous than gravel and 
sand and do not drain as rapidly. 

The accompanying map (PI. Ill, 
in pocket) shows the average 
depth to the water table at the 
wells that were examined. Where 
dense rocks appear at or near the 
surface there is no water table ; the 
rock masses rise above the ground 
water like islands in a lake, and 
the position of the water table 
immediately surrounding them is 
indeterminate. Figure 3 illus- 
trates the relative position of the 
water table in various kinds of 
drift and under different topo- 
graphic conditions. 

The water table is constantly 
changing its position with respect 
to the surface of the ground, 
rising rapidly after a heavy rain, 
then gradually descending as the 
water is drained away. These 
changes may be observed by mak- 
ing successive measurements of 
the depths to water in wells. The 
zone through which the water table 
fluctuates is called in this report 
the zone of fluctuation. 

In elevated positions where the 
drift is thin the water table may 
descend during a period of drought 
until it touches the rock surface 
and is all drained away; but in 
the vicinity of perennial streams 
or permanent bodies of water the 
change may not exceed a few 
inches during a year. The zone of 
fluctuation, therefore, has the least 
thickness in the valleys and the 
greatest on the hills, where it may 
include the entire distance from 
the highest water level to the 
bedrock surface. 



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GROUND WATER TX WATERBURY AREA. CONN 



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AMOUNT OF WATER. 

A rough conception of the an- 
nual supply of ground water may 
be gained by analyzing the rela- 
tions between precipitation and 
stream flow. Measurements of 
precipitation show the total 
amount of water which falls on a 
drainage basin, but only a part of 
this is added to the underground 
supply, a part of the rest being 
returned to the atmosphere, and 
another part discharged by 
streams. The total run-off from 
a drainage basin, as determined 
by stream measurements, in- 
cludes both the surface drainage 
(that is, the water which has 
never formed part of the under- 
ground supply) and the un- 
derground drainage — the water 
which has passed into the sur- 
face streams from the water- 
bearing beds. 

The water that is returned to 
the atmosphere by evaporation 
and transpiration is in part sur- 
face water and in part ground 
water. A rough index of its 
amount is obtained by subtracting 
the total annual run-off from the 
total annual precipitation. In the 
Housatonic River basin above 
Gaylordsville, Conn, (area, 1,020 
square miles) , the annual rainfall is 
•17.86 inches and the mean annual 
run-off is 29.43 inches. The differ- 
ence of 18.43 inches is attributed 
to loss by evaporation and plant 
growth. Similarly, in Connecticut 
River basin above Orford, X. H. 
(area, 3,300 square miles), the an- 
nual precipitation is 36.76 inches 
and the annual run-off is 21.66 
inches, the loss being 15.10 inches . 



OCCURRENCE OF GROUND WATER. 



15 



These and other data compiled by Mr. Hoyt ' indicate that in north- 
eastern United States between 30 and 40 per cent of the rainfall is 
returned to the atmosphere. It is not possible to determine, from 



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the data at hand, what part of this is derived from the underground 
supply. All perennial streams he below the water table and are 
maintained during dry seasons by infiltration from the saturated part 

1 Hoyt, J. C, Comparison between rainfall and run-off in northeastern United States; Am. Soc. Civil 
Eng. Trans., vol. 59, p. 470, 1907. 

98200°— W8P397— 16 2 



16 



GBOUND WATEB IN WATERBTJRY AREA, CONN. 



of the drift. During a rainy season and for some time thereafter the 

streams carry more or less 
water which has never 
formed a part of the 
ground-water supply. Dur- 
ing the succeeding dry sea- 
son this surface water is 
discharged and the streams 
finally reach a stage at 
which nearly the entire run- 
off is water from under- 
ground sources. In Con- 
necticut the discharge of 
underground water is never 
| less than the amount car- 
\ ried by the streams at their 
I lowest stages, but it is 
5 probably greater immedi- 
I atelv after rains, owing to 
I the contribution from inter- 
: mittent springs and seepage 
| areas and to a general accel- 
l eration of underground cir- 
\ dilation by hydrostatic 
I pressure. In addition to 
= the amount of ground wa- 
§ ter discharged by streams 
= there are large quantities 
| stored in drift-filled rock 
[ basins below the valley 
a floors, as for example in the 
) valley of Xaugatuck River 
~ near Waterbury, where sat- 
urated deposits consisting 
largely of gravel and sand 
extend nearly 100 feet be- 
low the river bed (fig. 2). 
The amount of water in 
such basins depends on the 
size of the basins and the 
porosity of the valley fill. 
But the water contained in 
such basins, if withdrawn, 
must be replenished by that 
usually carried in the 
-ireanb. therefore, strictly speaking, these supplies are not available 




GROUND WATER FOR MUNICIPAL USE. 17 

in addition to the amounts discharged by streams, except as their 
withdrawal would decrease the amount of evaporation and transpira- 
tion. 

WATER IN CRYSTALLINE ROCKS. 

The area described in this report is underlain by crystalline rocks 
whose age has not been definitely determined (p. 9). As a result 
of the work of dynamic agencies these rocks are intensely fractured, 
cracks being visible wherever the rocks are exposed (PI. II, B) . All 
the crystalline rocks have a very low porosity — less than 1 per cent — 
and for this reason the circulation of water in them is practically 
restricted to the cracks. Water enters the openings from the over- 
lying drift and passes in the direction of least resistance, down some 
sloping planes and up others, through vertical cracks and horizontally 
through level ones until it becomes imprisoned in cracks with no 
outlets or until it reappears at the surface as springs or seepage. 

In general, the thickness of the zone of active circulation is nearly 
equal to the relief of the land surface. That is, openings below the 
level of the valleys are generally filled with water that is not in 
motion until wells reach these depths and start circulation by drawing 
water to the surface. In some places, however, these more deeply 
seated waters are forced by hydrostatic pressure along fault planes 
or major joints and reach the surface as artesian springs or artesian 
wells. (See figs. 5, 6, and 7.) 

The amount of water in crystalline rocks depends chiefly on the 
number and size of the cracks. Most of the openings are too 
narrow, even at the surface, to allow any considerable quantity 
of water to pass, but they are generally connected, either directly 
or indirectly, with larger fissures into which they drain, and it is the 
ramifying systems of minor cracks which to a large degree regulate 
the supplies derived from rock borings. The openings in these rocks 
do not extend to great depths and their size rapidly diminishes from 
the surface downward. Nearly all the cracks pinch out entirely 
within a few hundred feet from the surface, and water-bearing 
fissures at greater depths are rare. As compared with the more 
porous drift, crystalline rocks contain little water, the average yield 
of wells in the crystallines of Connecticut being about 15 gallons 
a minute. Many deep rock wells in the State are practically dry, 
but a number of others obtain water from joints and cracks within 
100 feet of the surface. 

GROUND WATER FOR MUNICIPAL USE. 

PROBLEMS INVOLVED. 

The problems to be considered in planning the use of ground water 
for a new or enlarged public water supply relate to the quantity of 
water to be obtained, the quality of the water, the methods of pro- 



18 GROUND WATER TX WATF.RBURY AKKA. CONN. 

curing it, and the cost of establishing and maintaining the works. 
These problems are largely interdependent and their relative impor- 
tance depends on the proposed uses of the water and the conditions 
under which it is to be used. 

QUANTITY REQUIRED. 

In towns with an established water system the per capita consump- 
tion is known and the quantity of water required for extending the 
system can be estimated with a fair degree of accuracy. In small 
towns or communities in which a public supply is designed to replace 
private wells an estimate of the quantity of water required should be 
based on a comparative study of the consumption in towns of similar 
characteristics. Plans for cities or for smaller communities involve 
a consideration of future needs based on the probable rate of increase 
in population and the circumstances affecting it and also on the esti- 
mated rate and amount of development of industrial enterprises. 
In a community where the significance of past conditions and present 
trends of population and industries are fairly well understood, plans 
for a 20-year service for an average town of less than 10,000 may be 
based on the present population. For larger cities estimates of 
future needs are much less likely to be reliable, and so far as practi- 
cable future requirements should be provided for by maintaining a 
system capable of extension at reasonable cost as the need arises. 
The data available for the larger cities of Connecticut are sufficient 
to serve as a guide in planning ten years in advance of present needs, 
on the basis of an estimated consumption of J 00 gallons per capita 
per day. 

The factors whicn determine the amount of water required are as 
follows : 

1. The number of inhabitants. 

2. The nature of the local industries. 

3. The wealth and habits of the people. 

4. The extent to which water is used in fountains and in lawn and street sprinkling. 

5. The climate as affecting the use and waste of water to prevent freezing. 

6. The prevention of leakage. 

7. The basis of revenue (meter or flat rate). 

8. Quality, quantity, and pressure, as tending to encourage or discourage liberal 
use and great wastefulness. 

9. The popularity of a new or improved supply. 

The consumption of water is usually, stated in number of gallons 
per capita per day, but it is not sufficient to take into account only 
this average daily rate of consumption, for the demand varies during 
the year and during the day, and the supply must be adequate for 
temporary heavy draughts. The following table shows the average 
daily consumption in Hartford, Conn., for each month during 1912 
and during the period from 1903 to 1912, inclusive: 



U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 397 PLATE II 




A. STRATIFIED SAND AND GRAVEL, NAUGATUCK VALLEY, SEYMOUR, CONN. 




CRYSTALLINE ROCK (HARTLAND SCHIST) SHOWING FISSURES WHICH AT GREATER DEPTHS 
AFFORD WATER SUPPLIES, NAUGATUCK, CONN. 



tiEOUND WATEE FOR MUNICIPAL USE. 



L9 



Average daily consumption of vjater during each month in Hartford, Conn. a 



Month. 



January. 
February- 
March... 

April 

May 

June 



1912. 



Gallons. 

8,317,000 

8, 730, 000 

8,625,000 

8,445,000 

8,800,000 

9,128,000 



Average 
for 10 years 
(1903-1912). 



Gallons. 

6,717,000 

6,959,000 

6,896,000 

7,044,000 

7,380,000 

7,648,000 



Month. 



July 

August 

September 
October. . . 
November. 
December. 



1912. 



Gallons. 

9,245,000 

8, 694, 000 

8,675,000 

8,674,000 

8,283,000 

8,142,000 



Average 
for 10 years 
(1903-1912). 



Gallons. 
7,642,000 
7,315,000 
7,411,000 
7,191,000 
6,978,000 
6,775,000 



a Board of "Water Commissioners, City of Hartford, Conn., Fifty-ninth Ann. Rept., for year ending 
Mar. 1, 1913, p. 190. 

The following table illustrates the variation in the rate of con- 
sumption during the day : 1 



Consumption from the Mystic supply of Boston, Mass. 


August, 1893. 




Hours. 


Rate of con- 
sumption 
per capita 

(gallons per 
24 hours). 


Per cent 
of total 
consump- 
tion. 


1 to 4 a. m 


a 40. 8 
58.6 

103.8 
93.0 
98.2 
79.5 
61.9 
52.9 


6.9 


4 to 7 a. m 


9.9 


7 to 10 a. m 


17.6 


10 a. m. to 1 p. o 


15.8 


1 to 4 p. m 


16.8 


4 to 7 p. m 


13.6 


7 to 10 p. m 


10.5 


10 p. m. to 1 a. m 


8.9 








Average 


73.6 


100.0 







o "The large consumption from 1 to 4 a. m. must have been mostly waste." 

To meet these daily peak loads and to insure against such emer- 
gencies as might arise from fire or disability of pumps a ground- 
water supply system should be equipped with a surface reservoir or 
elevated tank unless the capacity of the pumps and wells is much 
greater than the normal consumption. 

QUALITY OF WATER. 

A municipal water supply should be suitable in quality for both 
domestic and industrial uses. To meet these requirements the 
installation of purifying equipment may be necessary, whether the 
supply comes from surface or underground sources. Surface waters 
are always liable to pollution, and contamination of some is practi- 
cally inevitable. The mineral content and hardness of most surface 
waters are not such as to render them unfit for general use, but 
ground waters, especially ground waters drawn from the bedrocks, 
may require softening or at least the removal of iron before the 
waters are usable. Ground waters are less liable to pollution than 
surface waters, but they are more strongly mineralized and may be 
mineralized to an objectionable degree. 



1 Turneaure, F. E., and Russell, H. L.. Public water supplies, p. 29, 1908. 



20 



GROUND WATER lH WATERBURY AREA, CONN. 



METHODS OF OBTAINING WATER. 



The method of collecting water for a municipal supply depends 
on the natural conditions existing in the locality where water is 
needed. The possible sources to be considered are streams, springs, 
deep wells, filtration galleries, and shallow wells. 

The extent to which each of these methods is employed in New 
England is shown in the following table: 

Sources of water in public water supplies in New England. 





Number of public supplies derived from— 


State. 


Surface 
water.b 


Surface 

water 

and 

springs. 


Surface 

water 

and 

shallow 

wells. 


Springs 


Shallow 
wells. 


Shallow 
wells 
and 

springs. 


Gal- 
ler- 
ies. 


Shal- 
low 

wells 
and 

galler- 
ies. 


Deep 
and 

arte- 
sian 

wells. 


Total. 




Dug. 


Driven. 




Maine 


53 
37 
21 
67 
12 
48 


2 
2 
3 
2 

9 





3 




12 
17 
13 
23 

8 


1 
1 



20 

1 





2 

14 







3 







6 








4 




2 
2 

1 

2 


70 


New Hampshire 
Vermont 


61 
37 


Massachusetts 

r.hode Island 

Connecticut 


143 
13 
67 








238 


18 


3 


73 


23 


16 


3 


6 


4 


7 


391 



a Compiled from Baker, M. N., Manual of American waterworks, 1897. 

& Surface water includes supplies from streams, lakes, and impounding reservoirs. 



STREAMS. 

Streams generally afford the simplest means of obtaining water. 
If the minimum daily discharge of the available stream exceeds the 
maximum daily consumption by an amount sufficient to provide for 
fire protection, the water may be diverted directly into the street 
mains; if, however, the daily discharge as determined by measure- 
ments extending through a number of years is not sufficient to meet 
the daily consumption and afford fire protection, storage must be 
provided. Since large streams are generally utilized in the disposal 
of sewage, it is the custom to go to the smaller ones for water sup- 
plies, hence the most common type of development involves the 
construction of reservoirs. A useful rule for estimating the required 
storage is that the amount stored shall be about the same percentage 
of the total yearly consumption as the total yearly consumption is 
of the total yield of the drainage basin. 1 

Practically all the available ground water of the drift, except that 
stored in the deposits below Naugatuck River, and a considerable 
amount from crevices in the bedrocks returns to the surface along 
the stream courses. For this reason the most effective method of 

1 International Library of Technology, vol. 36, Water supply, pp. 1, 322. 



GROUND WATER FOR MUNICIPAL USE. 21 

recovering this ground water is by constructing dams in the streams 
that carry it. Ground water is thus brought to the surface without 
pumping and if a reservoir is available from which water can be 
delivered by gravity the cost of pumping may be eliminated entirely. 

SPRINGS. 

Springs may be grouped into two classes, the first including those 
which serve as outlets for ground waters that have reached horizons 
far below the earth's surface, and the second comprising those which 
derive their supply from ground waters that have passed to shallow 
depths only. 

So far as known all the springs in this area belong to the second 
class. They are numerous along nearly all the streams, which owe 
their persistence through dry seasons to water from this source. 
Most springs of this kind are small. They vary in yield with the 
amount and character of local precipitation, and their permanence 
depends on the seasonal distribution of rainfall, the areas of their 
individual collecting basins, and the nature of the soil and vegetation. 
Most of the small, so-called surface-water supplies in the State are 
supported to a large extent by springs of this type, but, because of 
their liability to fail in dry seasons and their average low yield these 
springs are not adapted for use as public supplies, unless they occur 
close together and in localities where the surplus yield during wet 
seasons may be stored for use in droughts. A sufficient number of 
springs in a favorable locality would result in either a lake or a stream. 
The accumulated waters from such groups of springs would possess 
the qualities of surface-water supplies and would properly be classed 
with them. 

Most deep-seated springs are independent of seasonal changes and 
are free from surface pollution. They may, however, contain suffi- 
cient mineral matter to render them undesirable for a municipal sup- 
ply or desirable for medicinal use. Springs of this type in other parts 
of Connecticut furnish waters of high purity and are widely exploited. 
Their commercial value as bottled waters, as well as their moderate 
yields, will doubtless continue to prevent their use as parts of public 
water systems. 

DRILLED WELLS. 

* 

The often-expressed idea that a well of water, or even a flowing 
well, may be obtained anywhere by drilling deep enough is based 
on an erroneous conception of the occurrence of ground water. Some 
artesian areas, as, for example, those of Texas and South Dakota, 
are underlain by extensive beds of porous water-bearing rocks capable 
of furnishing large and continuous supplies. In such districts it is 



22 QBOUND WATEB IN WATKKBUKY A.BEA, CONN. 

usually possible, after a few wells have been drilled, to predict with 
considerable accuracy the depth at which wafer will be found and the 
quantity that will be obtained. In areas underlain by such materials 
as those forming the rock floor of this area, however, large supplies 
are seldom obtained by drilling into the bedrock. Moreover, the 
yields of new wells can not be predicted from the records of existing 
rock wells because the supplies are obtained from discontinuous and 
irregular fissures which vary in size, distribution, and water content. 

Wells that overflow at the surface are not common in Connecticut, 
but in some places flowing water has been obtained both by drilling 
into bedrock and by driving " points" to shallow depths in the drift. 
Where flows have been struck the head is generally low and the flow 
often ceases within a few days or even within a few hours. In drilled 
wells the flow is due to conditions illustrated in figures 5, 6, and 7. 
If a sloping rock surface is covered by an impervious stratum of clay 
or till such a stratum may confine the water in the rock crevices and 
generate hydrostatic pressure that forces the water to the surface 
when a well penetrates the impervious stratum. In some shallow wells 
the conditions are similar. A sloping stratum of sand or gravel 
confined between beds of clay may contain water under sufficient 
pressure to afford a flowing well when the upper impervious layer is 
penetrated by a driven point. 

Conditions favorable for producing flowing wells are seldom en- 
countered, and ground waters must therefore generally be recovered 
by pumping. Moreover, in most drilled wells the water does not rise 
to a level within the suction limit, and a gang of drilled wells can 
therefore generally not be pumped by means of a suction main, and 
a lift pump is required in each well except where air lifts can be used 
to advantage. On account of the small yields, high costs, and great 
uncertainty in regard to every phase of the development, drilled 
wells are hardly to be considered for supplying large municipalities. 
For villages in which the consumption does not exceed 50,000 gallons 
a day and where surface-water supplies are not easily available 
satisfactory supplies may be obtained by drilling one or more wells 
into rock. 

DUG WELLS. 

Dug wells draw their supplies from the glacial drift. They are 
best adapted to areas in which the drift is not very porous and yields 
water slowly, whereas driven wells are best adapted for areas in 
valleys in which deposits of porous stratified drift supply water more 
freely. The yield from a dug well depends on the porosity of the 
drift, the dimensions of the well, and the depth of the well below the 
water table. To obtain permanent supplies these wells must pass 
below the lowest position of the water table. Dug wells are not 



GROUND WATER FOR MUNICIPAL USE. 28 

adapted for furnishing public supplies unless the amount of water 
required is small, and even then such a supply would hardly justify 
the installation of the necessary pumps and pipe lines because the 
cost would be great for each unit of water developed. 

INFILTRATION GALLERIES. 

Underground galleries or tunnels are usually constructed for the 
purpose of filtering stream waters. Under favorable conditions they 
may be used to recover ground water, but in general wherever the 
deposits are porous enough to yield much water to infiltration gal- 
leries, water can be obtained more economically and satisfactorily by 
means of driven wells. Infiltration galleries are expensive to con- 
struct and are subject to decreases in efficiency which are not easily 
remedied. It is probable that in this area driven wells will be found 
to possess a number of advantages over infiltration galleries. (See 
p. 35.) 

DRIVEN WELLS. 

The Naugatuck River valley contains deposits of coarse sediments 
which are capable of yielding large quantities of water, provided the 
recharge is adequate. The valley is narrow, however, and most of 
the coarse deposits rest on the valley walls (PL III), where they are 
rapidly drained and are consequently of no importance as a source of 
water even for domestic use. Furthermore, the valley is constricted 
in places and at such points the underflow is interrupted. In some 
parts of the valley, however, the coarse deposits below the river are 
sufficiently broad and deep to afford storage of large quantities of 
water. Driven wells with perforated iron casings 6 or 8 inches in 
diameter, as described on page 33, probably afford the most economi- 
cal method of obtaining water from this source. A project involving 
the use of driven wells differs from one in which drilled rock wells are 
to be used in that reliable information regarding the quantity and 
quality of water available can be obtained at moderate cost. The 
thickness and extent of the water-bearing formation can be deter- 
mined by rough surveys, and pumping tests by means of drive points 
will establish the feasibility of proceeding with the project. It seems 
improbable, considering the availability of surface water, that ground 
water could be economically used as a source of supply by a city as 
large as Waterbury, but it is certain that many communities, such as 
the villages of Beacon Falls, Thomaston, and possibly Seymour, 
requiring moderate amounts of water, could obtain supplies of this 
kind, and the cities of Waterbury, Ansonia, and Naugatuck could 
obtain supplementary supplies in this manner if demand should arise. 

The use of driven wells is illustrated by the following plants at 
Brookline, Mass., Brooklyn, N. Y., and Plainfield, N. J.: 



'24 >UND WATER IN WATEBBURY ABBA, CONK. 

Plant at BrooHine, Mass. — The following description of the munici- 
pal pumping plant at Brookline. Mass., was given by Mr. F. F. Forbes, 

the superintendent: 1 

The material for this paper was gathered from work which was done under my 
direction in Brookline. two and four years ago. to increase the water supply of this 
town. 

The work consisted in laying a suction main made up as follow?: 2,054 feet of 
24-inch pipe. 2.093 feet of 20-inch pipe. 531 feet of 16-inch pipe. 1,427 feet of 10-inch 
pipe, and 155 feet of 8-inch pipe, a total of 6.200 feet; and driving 201 2f-inch wells. 
and connecting 160 wells: the other 41 wells were failures. 

The plant was designed to deliver water at the rate of 5.000.000 gallons per day for 
as many hours each day as might be necessary to supply the town. A slight study 
of such a plant will convince one that it is very important that the pipes and 
connections should be air-tight, and so put together that they will remain in this 
state even if some small settling should take place in the suction main;' for not only 
does it cost money to pump air from which no benefit is received, but its presence 
in the conducting pipes lessens the amount of water they will earn', also decreases 
the quantity which can be taken from the ground by partially destroyirg the vacuum 
and also causes the pumps to perform badly unless the air is removed before it reaches 
them. 

It is not an easy matter to lay a long line of pipe, drive and connect numerous 
wells, and leave no place through which the air can flow. Not only must the mate- 
rial used be without defects, but the work must be most faithfully done — the latter 
being by far the most difficult part. It is with much satisfaction that I can speak 
of the results obtained in Brookline. The plant has now been in use nearly two 
years without giving the least trouble from air leaks, or. in fact, from any other causes. 

A description of the principal details of construction is as follows: The 24-inch 
suction main is connected directly to the pumps without an air separator or sand 
receiver. The top of this main is laid from 6 to 8 feet below the surface of the ground, 
and about 5 feet below the usual level of Charles River during the summer months. 
The main was laid at this depth for two reasons: First, that more water might be 
drawn from the ground, and, second, that the main might be in the most favorable 
position, not to be affected by expansion or contraction due to changes of tempera- 
ture. The main has a slight pitch from the pump, the farther end being about 6 
inches lower. This construction is necessary to allow any air which may be in the 
pipes to flow toward the station and not pocket at any point on the line. 

This suction main is composed of ordinary cast-iron bell and spigot pipes, laid in 
the usual way with lead joints. Extra pains were taken, however, in calking these 
joints. During the laying of the main and the connectirg of the wells, it was neces- 
sary to keep a 6-inch rotary pump running day and night to free the trench from 
water. The bottom of the trench was a rather fine sand, and the pipe was supported 
on a blocking reaching to a timber platform placed about S inches below the bottom 
of the pipes to allow room to calk the joints. Short cast-iron Y branches of special 
design were placed in the main for each well. The 2£-inch outlets of these Y branches 
were drilled and tapped to a templet at the foundry before being tarred, under the 
watch of an inspector. 

The wells were connected to the Y branches by two lead connections, 2\ inches 
in diameter and of a weight of 11 pounds per foot. A gate with companion flanget 
was placed between these lead connections, the flanges formirg the union joint 
between the wells and suction main. The soldering nipples used with the lead 
connections were made to order of the best steam metal. They were delivered 
un tinned in order that any defect in them could be easily found. Spe< ial 

i New England Waterworks Association Jour., vol. 11, No. 3, p. 19-5, : 



GROUND WATER FOR MUNICIPAL USE. 



25 



taken to solder these nipples to the lead connections. A wiped joint was not con- 
sidered to be always air-tight and of this size rather difficult to make, and we finally 
decided to sweat the nipples in, as this process is sometimes called. The necessary 
heat was obtained from cast-iron plugs heated in a portable forge which fitted loosely 
into the nipples. The well pipes were screwed together with special wrought-iron 
couplings until the ends butted, and special cement was used on the threads. The 
wells were from 35 to 95 feet deep. Two and one-half inch tees of a special pattern 
were placed on the wells at a proper grade to allow them to be connected by means 
of the lead connections to the suction main . The piping of the wells was carried to 
the height of about 1 foot above the surface of the ground and capped with a special 
cap. The wells have open ends, no strainers of any kind being used. In the bottom 
pieces there are five rows of holes with nine holes in a row, spaced 2£ inches apart 
from centers, and bushed with |-inch brass pipe. 

As before stated, we have had no air leaks so far, and as the suction pipe is laid 
with lead joints, and the connection between this pipe and the wells made with 
lead pipe, thus making the whole construction flexible, we can see no reason why 
air leaks should ever occur. 

The cost of construction of the work done two years ago, which included laying all 
of the 20, 16, 10, and 8 inch pipe, and driving 159 wells, is as follows: 

Cost of driving and connecting 118 good wells and driving and pulling up 41 poor wells. 

Cost of labor, driving wells .' $1, 561. 00 

Cost of labor, connecting wells 210. 00 

Cost of labor, pumping out wells 369. 00 

Cost of the well pipes, not including bottom pieces 572. 06 

Cost of the bottom pieces 196. 23 

Cost of preparing bottom pieces 118. 00 

Cost of the gate tops for wells 360. 37 

Cost of the gates 660. 80 

Cost of 2^-inch tees 94. 40 

Cost of soldering nipples 250. 16 

Cost of solder : 23. 00 

Cost of f -inch rope 5. 31 

Cost of oil 6.25 

Cost of red and white lead 23. 59 

Cost of lead pipe 333. 40 

Cost of making lead connection in the shop 52. 50 

Cost of 2-J-mch plugs 2. 29 

Cost of 2 J-inch coupling 155. 40 

Cost of pulling up poor wells 80. 00 

Cost of Akron pipe for gate boxes 306. 92 

Cutting threads on pipe : 206. 72 

Teaming 14. 00 

Miscellaneous 51. 26 

Total cost of wells 5, 652. 66 

Number of feet of good wells driven 5, 977 

Number of feet of poor wells driven 1, 741 

Total 7, 718 

The average depth of the wells 50 feet. 

Average number of feet driven per day with gang of four men . 50 feet. 

Cost of labor driving wells, per foot $0. 21 

Average cost of each good well, including driving and con- 
necting and expense of driving and pulling the poor wells. . $47. 90 



20 OBOUND WATER IN WATERBUR? AREA, CONN. 

Cost of laying the suction main. 

Cost of labor $10,428.32 

Cost of lumber 1, 118. 55 

Cost of pipes 6, 248. 07 

Cost of gates 341. 16 

Cost of lead 515. 09 

Cost of pumping, the engineer 458. 56 

Cost of pumping, coal 174. 71 

Cost of unloading pipes 39. 00 

Cost of inspecting pipes 183. 00 

Cost of rubber boots 210. 00 

Cost of shovels 52. 00 

Cost of carting men to and from work 947. 30 

Cost of hauling the pipe from cars 300. 00 

Cost of expressage 79. 30 

Cost of oil for engine 4. 80 

Cost of jute packing 12. 74 

Miscellaneous 155. 43 

Total cost of laying pipe 21, 268. 03 

The amounts laid are as follows: 

20-inch pipe 2, 023 feet. 

16-inch pipe 551 feet. 

10-inch pipe 1, 420 feet. 

8-inch pipe 155 feet. 

4, 149 feet. 

The total cost of laying pipe $21, 268. 03 

The total cost of driving and connecting wells 5, 652. 66 

Total cost of system '. 26, 920. 69 

The total cost of laying the pipe, driving and connecting 
wells, per foot of suction main 6. 45 

Plant at Brooklyn, N. Y. — The borough of Brooklyn, N. Y., 
obtains a large part of its water supply from driven wells arranged 
in gangs at several places on Long Island. The first wells constructed 
were of the closed-end type, but later ones are of the open-end type. 
The wells are arranged in two rows, one on each side of the suction 
main, the wells in some gangs being in files and in others staggered. 
A description of one of the new plants is as follows: 

The main suctions are about 2,340 feet long with a fall of 12 inches from center to 
each end. The 62 wells are staggered along the main suction pipe, 12 feet from 
it and 75 feet apart on each side. Their average depth is 45 feet, a stratum of fine 
sharp sand being met with at that depth. The outside casing is 4$ inches, with a 
6-foot strainer, 2-foot sand pocket, 1 and 6-inch point. Suctions are 3 inches in diam- 
eter and 28 feet long. Lateral branches are 3£ inches, and each is provided with a 
gate. It is expected to get 6,000,000 gallons from this station. The contract price 
for the last 25.000,000 was $167,250 for sinking and connecting wells, the yield to be 
determined by a test lasting one year and taken as the lowest average for five consec- 
utive days. 2 

1 A sand pocket is a large drum or box inserted in the suction pipe to catch sand that is drawn tip w}th 
the water. It is provided with handholes to facilitate cleaning. 

2 Tumeaure, F. E., and Russell, H. L., Public water supplies, p. 308, 1909. 



GROUND WATER FOR MUNICIPAL USE. 27 

Plant at Plain field , N. J. — The following is a description 1 of the 
driven-well system at Plainfield, N. J. : 

The region itself is a comparatively level valley, some 7 miles long and from three- 
fourths to 2 miles wide, is fairly well wooded, and slopes gently to the westward. 
It is divided by a small stream running to the southwest, having several short tribu- 
taries; together they furnish excellent surface drainage for the city. 

The soil consists mostly of sand, clay, and gravel strata, rock not being encountered, 
except at considerable depths. 

It has always been an easy matter to procure water in abundance for domestic use 
by driving pipe wells from 20 to 80 feet deep at each residence, and attaching pumps 
directly thereto; and for fire supplies, sinking large brick curbs some 15 or 20 feet 
into the gravel gave an abundant flow. But obviously, with the increasing popula- 
tion and no sewerage system, individual wells became a source of danger to health, 
yet for nearly 20 years no definite result was accomplished, more than the mere 
organization of a private water company. 

In 1890 active measures were taken and tests and examinations made, which 
finally resulted in the siuking of pipe wells on a plot of ground 1| miles east of the 
center of the city in a soil where the upper clay stratum was some 30 feet or more 
in thickness, underlain by a very coarse water-bearing gravel. This spot was 
selected for its freedom from probable contamination on ground slightly higher than 
the city, which at the same time was convenient. 

Several test wells were sunk at various points previous to the observations of the 
writer, and pumping tests made with a low-lift pump of a number of the main wells 
then driven, under the care of Mr. Rudolph Hering, M. Am. Soc. C. E. The quan- 
tity of water obtained from 10 wells for periods of eight hours' daily consecutive 
. pumping, during two weeks of observation, was at the rate of from 2,000,000 to 
2,125,000 gallons in 24 hours. 

An inspection of Plate III [IV in the present report] will show the final arrange- 
ment of the wells, test wells, pumping plant in general, and details of the well tubes. 
The construction of the cast heads is such as to transform each water tube into 
practically an open well, giving atmospheric pressure free play rather than forcing 
its action through the earth, as in systems where but a single tube is used. The 
most distant well is 500 feet from the pumps and shows in an interesting manner by 
the vacuum at the well head and increased vacuum at the pump the effect of long 
suction and friction in the main. 

The 2-inch pipe test wells * * * were observed daily by the writer, while 
resident engineer, during several months. They each had a simple balanced float 
gage and scale, which indicated the rise and fall of water level. They were all very 
sensitive to draft on the main wells when pumping was going on, though the nearest 
was 200 feet from the line of wells. 

Comparison of these observations under the different conditions and seasons 
showed, among other things, that in about 1,900 feet the underground water level 
fell to the westward about 3 feet, or at about the same rate as the average surface of 
the ground. This evidenced conclusively that the flow of water was toward the city 
with a head sufficient to prevent any back flow of contaminated waters from the city. 

In summary, the plant consists of 20 wells 6 inches in diameter from 35 to 50 feet 
in depth each, ranged in a double row on a strip of land 25 feet wide and 1,000 feet 
long, having in each a 4^-inch open-end suction tube, connected with a wrought-iron 
main, varying from 8 to 12 inches in diameter. This main is in two sections, each 
500 feet, connecting 10 wells. 

Two compound surface-condensing duplex plunger pumps, Worthington make, 
one of 3,000,000 and one of 2,000,000 gallons daily capacity, and a boiler plant of 

1 Tribus, L. L., Am. Soc. Civil Eng. Trans., vol. 31, No. TOO, pi>. .371 etseq., 1S94. 



28 GROUND WATKB IX WATEBBUBT AKF.A. CONN. 

sufficient power, with various essential small machines, are housed in a rough-stone 

building, slate roofed. 

The water, drawn as before stated, direct from the wells, is pumped into a wrought- 
iron standptpe (situated near at hand) 25 feet in diameter and 140 feet high, through 
a 20-inch interior tube rising 5 feet above the top. Two lower openings on this rising 
main, with valves operated from the outside spiral staircase, afford opportunity for 
filling the standpipe at lesser head if required. 

The object of this interior tube, which was almost unique when erected, is three- 
fold: 

First, by its fountain action, enforcing complete aeration. 

Second, complete circulation. 

Third, to afford instant fire pressure, no matter what the elevation of water in the 
main tower. This is accomplished by opening a by-pass, not otherwise used, con- 
necting the rising main and the distribution line, the city's supply being drawn 
regularly from the bottom of the standpipe with pressure due to level of water in 
main tower. 

From the standpipe the Plainiield pipe system extends to the west, comprising 
some 30 miles of mains from 6 to 16 inches in diameter, having fire hydrants spaced 
about 11 and valves 6 per mile. * * * 

After the tests made by Mr. Hering and the partial completion of the works, various 
other tests were made with the permanent pumping plant. It was found that the wells 
on the westerly line yielded more abundantly than the easterly ones, under equally 
good conditions, and gave a lower vacuum for the same quantity pumped. * * * 

The tests were made with the large pumps, under both free discharge and full 
working head, singly and together, and drawing from the wells in groups of 5, 10, 15, 
and 20. using each combination of 5; also, by cutting off one by one until the smallest 
number that could be used was reached, then adding one by one in reverse order, 
until the fall series were again in use. Five wells were found to be the smallest 
number possible to use and run the pumps smoothly. Wells Xos. 6 to 10 gave the best 
results, while Xos. 16 to 20 furnished but little water. The best results were obtained 
for a full flow by using Xos. 1 to 15 inclusive. * * * 

During the long-continued dry weather of 1891 the water level became so low that 
difficulty arose with the extreme suction lift obtained, from 20 to 28 feet, according 
to rate of pumping, a fall of some 6 or 7 feet since the earlier observations, so that in the 
summer of 1892 it was deemed best to lower the pumps, which was done to the depth 
of 8 feet 1 inch below the former positions. 

For the sake of a constant observation and record, a 3-inch open tube was driven 
from the engine room into the water-bearing gravel, and a permanent float gage sus- 
pended in it. indicating by a balanced point on a scale of feet placed conveniently 
in the room. Although some 80 feet from the nearest main well, therefore not showing 
the lowest level of the water at the wells when pumping, it does show the relative 
water level under the same conditions and the daily and monthly range. "When 
pumping, the average lowering of the gage is about 8 inches, with an almost immediate 
return after stopping the pump. 

Rainfalls need to be exceptionally heavy to make any marked showing in the water 
level, and not much then inside of 24 hours. This seems to indicate that the water 
supply comes from a distance, but there is an insufficiency of data for determining 
this interesting point. 

In these two years or more of operation, the wells have furnished daily, wi'hout 
difficulty or signs of falling away, the full demand of from 200,000 gallons at the start 
to 1,700,000 gallons at the present time, apparently derived, as the early tests indicated, 
from the western 15 of the 20 wells driven. The water itself has been of uniformly 
excellent quality, both for domestic and manufacturing purposes: 60 far. therefore, a 
decided success as an underground water supply. 



GROUND WATEE IN WATEEBUEY AEEA, CONN. 29 

GROUND WATERS FOR PRIVATE USE. 

Most of the private wells in Connecticut are used for domestic 
supplies, although a few are used by manufacturing plants. The 
problems involved in obtaining a supply of good water from private 
wells have seldom been seriously considered. Many of the wells 
were dug before present-day ideas of sanitation became prevalent; 
they were constructed in the best manner possible under the circum- 
stances, and for a long time they have been regarded as admirable 
relics of earlier days; and there is a disposition to copy them even 
at the expense of both sanitary and economic considerations. 

Sanitary precautions are necessary not only in the case of dug 
wells but also in the case of springs and drilled wells. Springs 
are especially susceptible to pollution because the water is obtained 
at the surface and almost always on a slope where surface drainage 
can readily enter the pool. Springs should be equipped with a 
concrete reservoir and kept covered, and the water should be drawn 
from a delivery pipe. Such an equipment is not necessarily elaborate 
or expensive. It is important only to provide for the exclusion of 
surface drainage and the prevention of contamination either by 
persons or animals by preventing access to the stored water. Drilled 
wells properly constructed by reliable drillers exclude surface waters. 
If the well casings are properly set and the pump fittings are tight, 
such wells are in little danger from pollution. 

The average per capita consumption of water from private wells 
is much less than the consumption from public supplies, largely 
owing to the general lack of convenience in well equipment; conse- 
quently the amount of water required will depend on the equipment 
to be installed. For example, about ten times as much water will be 
required if a pneumatic or a tower system is to be installed for the 
purpose of furnishing running water in the house and barns as if 
the equipment were to consist merely of a hoisting bucket or a 
small hand pump. The type of well is also a factor. An ordinary 
dug well yielding continuously 2 gallons a minute might, because of 
its storage capacity, meet a temporary draught of 50 or 100 gallons 
a minute; whereas a driven well, having no stored supply, could not 
meet a draught in excess of its maximum yield. Therefore, the esti- 
mate of the quantity required should be based not only on the total 
amount of water used in a day but also on the greatest rate at which 
it is to be pumped from the well. 

The water delivered by springs is, in general, of the same quality 
as the water to be obtained from shallow wells in their vicinity. 
Therefore the choice between opening up a spring and sinking a well 
depends on the relative cost and the resulting convenience. 
Springs so situated that water may be delivered to buildings by 
gravity afford very desirable supplies, but springs situated at low 



30 



GROUND WATER IX WATERBURY \RFA. CONN, 



elevations and therefore requiring pumping afford no more economical 

supplies than dug wells. 1 

The water obtained from dug wells is slightly harder than surface 

water, but in Connecticut the difference is ordinarily not appreci- 
able, well waters, so 
far as their mineral 
quality is concerned, 
being suitable for or- 
dinary domestic use. 
Dug wells gener- 
ally afford satisfac- 
tory domestic sup- 
plies, but they should 
not be expected to 
do so without some 
attention. Wells, es- 
pecially open wells, 
that have not been 
cleaned for 25 years 
and yet remain serv- 
iceable are not al- 
ways things to be 
proud of, a fact that 
is generally discov- 
ered when the wells 
are cleaned. 

Where the uncon- 
solidated materia] 
consists of sand or 
gravel, driven wells 
are likely to be more 
convenient than 
wells of other types. 
Driven wells are 
especially adapted 
to use in gardens, 
pastures, and barn 
yards, where water 
is required for stock 
and plants and where 
dus: wells would be 
objectionable. 
The water from driven wells is of the same mineral quality as 

that from dug wells in the same vicinity since it comes from the 

same source, and it is to some extent susceptible to pollution. 




=3 

3 
■ 

"o 

2 
"3 

*£> 

.5 
o 



sii3M ;o a3e^u90J3d 



1 Fuller, M. L., Underground waters for farm use: I'. S. Oeol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 255, 1910. 



METHODS OF DEVELOPING GROUND- WATER SUPPLIES. 31 

Therefore the surroundings of driven wells should be kept scrupu- 
lously clean. 

Drilled wells generally yield at least 2 or 3 gallons a minute, a 
quantity adequate for most households. (See fig. 8.) The water is 
generally suitable for domestic uses, although in Connecticut it 
may be harder than the water of shallow wells. 

METHODS OF DEVELOPING GROUND- WATER SUPPLIES. 

DRILLED WELLS. 

CONSTRUCTION. 1 

Two general methods of well drilling are employed hi obtaining 
water supplies, namely, the percussion method and the abrasion 
method. In Connecticut the percussion method is most commonly 
used. It consists of lifting and dropping, by means of suitable 
apparatus, a heavy string of drill tools which punches or cuts a 
hole through the unconsolidated materials and breaks the solid 
rock into fragments small enough to be removed from the hole. 
When drilling is done in unconsolidated material iron pipe or well 
casing as large in diameter as the hole will admit — usually either 
6 or 8 inches — is generally driven down as rapidly as the drill descends, 
each added length of casing being securely screwed to the preceding 
one to make a tight joint. If the well penetrates bedrock, the 
casing is driven a few feet into the rock to prevent infiltration of 
surface water. If the well ends in loose materials the casing extends 
to the bottom of the hole and may be perforated or slit at the lower 
end to admit water more rapidly. The casing is allowed to extend 
several inches above the surface of the ground to prevent inflow of 
surface water, and a flange is fitted to the top, to which a pump is 
attached. 

In drilling by the abrasion method hollow drill tools armed with 
some harder materials, such as diamonds or chilled shot, are rotated 
on the rock in such a way that a cylindrical core is cut out and 
brought to the surface, in short pieces. The wells sunk by this method 
are finished in the same way as those made by percussion drilling. 

Drillers differ in opinion as to the relative efficiency of these two 
methods, the points of contention being that the abrasion method is 
more expensive and that the rotation of the drill tools tends to seal 
up the smaller veins, thereby affording a comparatively lower yield 
than is obtained by percussion drilling. Data bearing conclusively on 
these questions are lacking, but the fact remains that both methods 
are used, the percussion method to a much larger extent, and that 
good results are obtained by each. 

1 Bowman, Isaiah, Well-drilling methods: U. S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 257, 1911. 
9S200 — wsp 397—16 3 



32 GBOUHD WATER IN WATERIH'RY AREA, CONN. 

COST. 

Owing to the competition among well drillers there is no uniform 
scale of prices for drilling wells. The minimum prices charged range 4 
from about SI to $4 per foot, including the casing. Usually the 
minimum price is charged for the first 100 feet and an additional 
charge of about SI per foot is made for each succeeding 100 feet or 
fraction thereof. Other factors which affect the prices are the 
character of the bedrocks and depth of the unconsolidated materials: 
the accessibility of fuel and water for the engines and the distance 
from the well to suitable lodging places for the drillers. 

No reliable driller will agree to obtain a water supply within a 
given depth in the bedrocks of the Waterbury area. A driller 
may offer to obtain a certain amount of water for a stated sum 
of money, but as he can not predict the depth or the location of 
a successful rock well such an arrangement amounts to little more 
than a game of chance, in which the advantage is necessarily largely 
on the side of the driller. 

QUALITY OF WATER. 

Drilled wells are usually protected against contamination by 
their manner of construction and this is one of their chief advantages. 
The principal disadvantages of drilled rock wells lies in the fact that 
neither the quantity nor the mineral quality of the water can be 
definitely ascertained before drilling and consequently an expensive 
well may be drilled without obtaining a suitable supply. 

The water from drilled wells that end in the drift at depths of 75 
or 100 feet is just as likely to be free from pollution as that from 
wells that end in rock, and it is less likely to contain undesirable 
amounts of mineral matter. Moreover, drilled wells that end in 
the rock are not invariably free from pollution, especially where the 
rock outcrops or lies a short distance below the surface, owing to 
the possibility of the passage of infected matter through open rock 
fissures to the well. Many rock wells situated near the coast are 
contaminated by salt because some of the fissures intersected by the 
well come to the surface below tidewater. The contamination in 
such wells is easily detected, but it is not so easily detected if fissures 
contributing to the water supply come to the surface in barnyards 
or in the beds of polluted rivers. It is not necessarily a fortunate 
thing if a well strikes a vein that yields water giving an "odor of 
sulphur" because odors not easily distinguishable from "sulphur" 
may be due to pollution. The origin of any odors, colors, or tastes 
should be determined before a water is used. Even deep drilled 
wells may be contaminated in a thickly populated community unless 
the protective cover of clay is thick and the casing is water-tight 
and fits tightly into the drill hole. 



4 

METHODS OF DEVELOPING GROUND- WATER SUPPLIES. 33 

IMPROVEMENTS. 

Drilled wells .which end in the drift do not differ essentially from 
driven wells, and they should be finished in the same maimer. The 
casing should be perforated or slit at the principal water-bearing hori- 
zons and for some distance above the lower end. This will generally 
increase the yield materially. 

Some wells that produce water of an undesirable mineral character 
may be improved by casing off the mineral water and drawing from a 
different horizon. This method is not likely to be generally successful 
in Connecticut, however, because the quality of the groundwater 
does not differ very much from one local horizon to another. 

If the yield of a well is reduced by pumping from other wells in the 
vicinity the pump cylinder should be lowered, and if this does not 
recover the yield, deepening the well may do so ; but there is likely to 
be more or less permanent interference when a number of wells are 
drilled close together. A method of increasing yields of drilled wells 
which has not been used sufficiently to warrant its recommendation 
for general use consists of exploding a charge of nitroglycerine or 
dynamite at the bottom of the well, the object being to develop radiat- 
ing fissures that may tap otherwise unavailable water veins. This 
method is used extensively in improving oil wells, and there appears 
to be no reason why, under favorable conditions, it should not be 
equally beneficial in water wells. In many cases it would be advis- 
able to try this remedy before abandoning dry holes ending in rock. 
It is not recommended for wells ending in drift. 

DRIVEN WELLS. 

Two general types of wells are classed as driven wells, namely, the 
closed-end well and the open-end well. A closed-end well is con- 
structed by driving into the ground with a sledge or drop hammer a 
"drive point' ' and strainer screwed to a piece of pipe. Other lengths 
of pipe are added and the driving is continued until the strainer pene- 
trates the groundwater horizon (fig. 9). The diameter of the pipe 
and strainer may be 1 inch to 4 inches and the length of the strainer 
is usually between 1J and 4 feet. 

The open-end well is constructed by driving a casting into the 
ground and at the same time removing the material from the interior 
by means of a sand bucket or sand pump or a jet of water. If the 
formation is rather hard, it may be necessary to remove the material 
in advance of the casing by means of a heavy sand pump or combi- 
nation jet and drill, or ordinary drilling may have to be done. A 
strainer may be attached previous to driving, or it may be adjusted 
after the casing is down by lowering it on the inside. Where the 
water-bearing deposits include coarse material and large quantities of 



34 



GROUND WATKK IX WATERBUB\ AUK A, CONN 



& 




a 







Figure 9. 



-Diagram of driven 
well. 



water are desired, as for municipal or in- 
dustrial supplies, the most satisfactory re- 
sults will be obtained by not using any of 
the ordinary strainers, but by perforating 
the casings where water is to be admitted 
with numerous circular holes at least one- 
fourth inch in diameter or slits at least one- 
fourth inch wide. These perforations can 
be cut or drilled before the casing is in- 
serted, or they can be made by perforating 
tools after the casing is in place. 1 

After the casing is in place and the perfora- 
tions have been made the well should be 
thoroughly cleaned out, hi order to remove 
the fine sediments and give the water free 
access to the well. This can best be done by 
first using a sand bucket or sand pump and 
then applying an air lift. If an air lift is not 
available, rapid pumping with a centrifugal 
or other pump can be substituted. Strong 
wells can often be developed by removing 
large quantities of sand and silt and thus 
leaving a thick layer of clean gravel around 
the intake of the well. Wells of this type 
are better adapted for harder ground and 
larger diameters than the closed-end well. 
The use of drive points is restricted to areas 
in which water can be obtained in rather fine 
gravel or sand at moderate depths, but open- 
end wells may be used in almost any un- 
consolidated deposits and they may be sunk 
to depths of several hundred feet. It is 
probable that in Connecticut either drive 
points or the usual drilled wells ending in the 
drift and having the casings perforated will 
be found satisfactory. 

Driven wells are used both in domestic 
and in municipal supplies. For domestic 
purposes it is seldom that more than one 
well is required to furnish the desired amount 
of water, but for public supplies for large 
towns these wells are commonly driven in 
gangs, arranged in one or two rows along 
a suction main to which each well is con- 

1 Bowman, Isaiah, Well -drilling methods: V. B. Geol. Survey 
Water-Supply Paper 257, pp. 67-69, 1911. 



U. S. GEOLOC 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 397 PLATE IV 





1 



fest we// A 
Y-200'-+ 



50 100 FEET 



16 



18 



20 



!5 



17 



19 



m 



r 



i. 



U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 



WATER-SUPPLY PAPER 397 PLATE IV 




PLAN OF PROPERTY AND DETAIL OF WELLS, WATER SUPPLY OF PLAINFIELD, N. J., 1891. 



METHODS OF DEVELOPING GBOUXD- WATER SUPPLIES. 35 

nected by a lateral branch (PL IV) . The most economical system is 
one in which the suction main can be laid on the surface of the ground, 
but in some systems, either for the purpose of obtaining the maximum 
yield or because the water stands below the suction limit from the 
surface, it is necessary or desirable to lay the suction main in a trench. 

It is not possible to give figures in regard to the requisite number 
of wells and their size and spacing that would be everywhere appli- 
cable, owing to the diverse conditions under which such plants are 
used; but in general it is advisable to place the line of wells at right 
angles to the direction of underflow, and the distance between the 
wells should be between 15 and 100 feet, depending on the size of the 
wells. The number and size of wells to be used will be determined by 
the amount of water required, the size and character of the water- 
bearing formation, and by the results of pumping tests to determine 
the permeability of the formation. 

One of the principal difficulties encountered in the operation of 
driven wells is clogging. Infiltration of fine sand or incrusting of the 
strainer may reduce the yield of a well materially, and it is necessary, 
therefore, to keep the tube clean. It is usually advisable to subject 
a newly driven well to heavy pumping for the purpose of drawing 
out the fine material adjacent to the strainer. Coarse material will 
be left in its place, forming a natural screen, which will minimize 
the tendency to clogging, and the yield of the well will be increased 
by the consequent increase in the porosity of the material surrounding 
the screen. 1 When clogging is due to sand only it is usually possible 
to remove the obstruction by forcing water into the wells under high 
pressure or by means of a steam jet, but when the sand is cemented 
it is necessary to withdraw the strainers to be cleaned or replaced by 
new ones. 

The liability to pollution of supplies from driven wells depends on 
the depth from which the wells draw, the effectiveness of overlying 
clay beds in shutting out pollution, the amount of water that is 
drawn, and other conditions. Though the danger of pollution is 
less than in open dug wells care should nevertheless be exercised in 
the selection of sites and in protecting the surroundings against 
contamination. Where large supplies are developed, such as are 
required for large municipalities, there is danger of drawing polluted 
water from near-by streams though smaller supplies drawn from the 
same wells might not be in danger of pollution. 

INFILTRATION GALLERIES. 

Infiltration galleries are trenches or tunnels, with sides and roofs 
constructed usually of masonry or concrete and the floors made to 
admit water. Galleries may be built in the banks or beds of streams 

1 Meinzer, O. E., Geology and underground waters of southern Minnesota: U. S. Geol. Survey W ..ter- 
Supply Paper 256, p. 86, 1911. 



36 OBOUND WATKK IN WATERBURY AREA, CONN. 

for the purpose of intercepting the underground drainage. as it 
approaches the streams. The deposits in filled valleys are saturated 
below the level of permanent streams, and galleries located in such 
deposits offer practicable means of obtaining water supplies. The 
bottom of a gallery may profitably be made lower than the bed of the 
stream to insure the maximum infiltration. Water from the stream 
itself does not enter the gallery unless the draught on the gallery 
exceeds the infiltration from the landward side. A gallery is a 
modified form of dug well, from which it differs essentially only in 
capacity and the same sanitary rules apply to both. 

DUG WELLS. 

The most common type of well is a dug hole, 2\ to 4 feet in diameter 
and deep enough to procure a suitable supply of water. The hole is 
then walled up from the bottom to the surface of the ground with 
loose irregular stones and bowlders picked up in the vicinity of the 
well. Brick laid in mortar and glazed tile have been used to a small 
extent for walls, but these materials, although much more desirable 
for the purpose, are more expensive than the stone commonly used. 
The top of the well is commonly finished by fitting a square curbing 
of boards over the hole and adding a wheel or windlass for hoisting a 
bucket. Better equipments, ranging from screened well sheds to 
concrete seals with good pumps, are found in many wells. Wells 
of this type generally end in the drift, but in areas where the drift 
is thin they may end at the rock surface or penetrate the rock a few 
feet, in which case the rock is removed by blasting. The principal 
advantages of the wells of this type are the ease with which they may 
be cleaned and refitted with pumps, and the large storage capacity; 
the chief disadvantages are their liability to pollution and their 
response to changes in the weather. 

The following extract x regarding the essentials of a good well is an 
excellent summary of the proper sanitary construction of dug wells: 

The location of the well is of the greatest importance. It should be as far as possible 
from the house, barn, and privy. If possible, the surface of the ground about the well 
should be a little higher than the surrounding soil so that any surface washings may be 
carried away from the top of the well. The ground about the top should be well 
sodded in grass. This not only adds to the attractiveness of the well but it take? 
care of a great deal of water that would otherwise have to stand in poois about the 
well . If the stock have to be watered from the well, there should be a pipe leading to a 
stock trough not less than 20 feet away, so that the stock need not come up to the 
well itself. 

A well, to be safe, should be not less than 20 feet deep. That is to say, 20 feet from 
the surface of the ground to the top of the water. It should go well through the 
surface soil, preferably through a layer of clay. The lining should be of brick or 
stone laid in cement. Any lining that allows water to seep through it above the 

■ Virginia Health Bulletin, vol. 1, p. 113, September, 1008. 



METHODS OF DEVELOPING GROUND- WATER SUPPLIES. 37 

surface of the water may lead to pollution. The space between the casing and the 
surrounding soil should be filled with sand or earth. 

The top of the well should be raised from the ground about a foot and set in cement 
or masonry coping that goes at least 3 feet below the surface of the ground. Over the 
top should be laid a solid, double tongue-and-groove flooring that is absolutely water- 
proof. This is essential. Most wells are polluted by material that falls in or is washed 
in from the top, and not by seepage through the soil. 

On the well top there should be a good pump, carefully set so as to exclude leakage 
from around its base. If the pump can not be used there should be an automatic 
tipping bucket. The well bucket should not be handled with the hands. Many 
wells have been infected by handling the bucket with soiled hands and then letting 
it back into the well, the filth being then washed off into the water. 

Below the spout there should be a trough with a pipe leading some distance away 
so that the waste water may be carried away from the well. 

A well constructed in the manner described above will almost always furnish water 
that is perfectly safe, and the saving of sickness and trouble will many times overpay 
for the expense and care involved. 

For convenience in discussion, dug wells may be divided, according 
to their relation to bedrock, into groups to include, first, wells that 
penetrate bedrock; second, wells that just reach rock; and third, 
those that end in drift. 

Wells that penetrate bedrock are sunk in localities in which the 
drift is thin. The thickness of the water bed in the vicinity of such 
wells may be less than the normal fluctuation of the water table, and 
consequently in times of drought there may be no available water in 
the drift. But the rock basins generally act as reservoirs for the 
storage of water which has seeped in from the drift, and these wells 
therefore usually carry small supplies through dry seasons. In 
cleaning rock wells, and sometimes in digging them actual veins of 
water are encountered, and this has led to the belief that the well 
supply is derived from some deep sources in the bedrocks. While 
such a condition is possible, most of these " veins" are shallow, water- 
filled cracks, developed naturally in the rock or produced by blasting. 
These cracks, radiating from the well, tap all along their courses the 
saturated zone of the overlying drift, and thus make it possible for 
the well to drain a much larger area than it otherwise could. 

Wells that extend to the surface of the bedrock are usually found 
in areas of thicker drift than are those which penetrate the rock. 
Like the rock wells they pass entirely through the saturated part of 
the drift but they do not contain a stored supply and therefore fail if 
the water table sinks to the rock surface. Consequently in localities 
where both types are found the supplies of the rock wells last longer 
in times of drought, although the others, drawing from a greater aver- 
age thickness of saturated deposits, have a greater average yield. 

Most of the wells that do not reach rock are found in areas of deep 
drift. These wells are sunk below the water level to a depth which 
at the time of digging is considered sufficient to supply the required 



38 



GROUND WATER IN WATERBURY AREA, CONN. 

amount of water. 
Most of the wells 
which fail are of 
this kind, the fail- 
ure being usually 
clue to some one of 
of 
causes 




the foil o w i n £ 



(a) The well may be 
too shallow. To be re- 
liable it should be sunk 
at least several feet be- 
low the lowest water 
level. This can be 
most eaed 1 y accom- 
plished during dry sea- 
sons. 

(b) The well, origi- 
nally deep enough, may 
become ' ' filled in " with 
sand and mud carried 
by inflowing water. In 
this manner the bot- 
tom of the well may 
be raised in wet sea- 
sons, when the water 
table stands high, to a 
level below which the 
water table sinks in dry 
seasons. 

(c) There may be a 
permanent lowering of 
the water table so that 
the bottom of the well 
lies within the zone of 
fluctuation. This may 
result from tiling, from 
a heavy draught on 
wells, or from lowering 
surface drainage either 
by removing dams or 
by deepening the chan- 
nels of neighboring 
streams. 

Wells that end 
in the sand or 
loose till should be 
cleaned about once 
a year. Wells that 
end in the rock 
may require atten- 
tion less often. In 



ANSONIA. 39 

any case cleaning should be the first remedy employed to restore 
the yield of a well. If this is not effective then the well should 
be deepened, and if this is done when the water is lowest it will be 
easy to judge the necessary depth. 

Wells may be deepened without disturbing the old wall by sinking 
18-inch or 24-inch tiling from the original bottom to the required 
depth. A method sometimes employed where the well ends in sand 
consists in driving a " point" (p. 34) into the bottom of the well to 
the necessary depth. If the strainer is more than 25 feet below the 
surface of the ground — that is, below the suction limit — the pump 
cylinder may be attached at some point between the surface of the 
ground and the bottom of the dug well. In some cases, especially 
those in which the well ends in rock, the most feasible way to obtain 
a suitable supply is by chilling from the bottom of the old well. This 
amounts practically to constructing a new well except that the cost 
of drilling to the depth of the old well is saved. 

An adaptation of the dug well which is popular in some parts of 
Connecticut is illustrated in figure 10. This consists in placing a well 
on a hillside above the house and barns so that water may be delivered 
to the buildings by gravity and under pressure. This is an excellent 
device wherever it can be used. 

DESCRIPTIONS OF TOWNS. 

ANSONIA. 
POPULATION AND INDUSTRIES. 

Ansonia is in the western part of New Haven County near the 
mouth of Naugatuck River. It is reached by the Berkshire and 
Naugatuck divisions of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Rail- 
road and by the Derby division of the Connecticut Co.'s Electric 
Railway. Ansonia was separated from Derby and incorporated in 
April, 1889. Its area is 6 square miles. The town and city are 
consolidated. 

The population in 1910 was 15,152. The census reports for 1900 
and 1890 give 12,681 and 10,342, respectively. The principal indus- 
tries are the manufacture of brass and copper articles, iron casting, 
and general foundry work. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

The east boundary lies along the divide between Wepawaug River 
and Naugatuck River, and the town extends westward to the top of 
the west valley wall. The highest elevation — 450 feet above sea 
level — is about the middle of the east boundary, and the lowest — 
about 18 feet above sea level — is at the place where Naugatuck River 
crosses the south boundary of the town. The valley floor in Ansonia 
has an average width of about 1 mile. 



40 GROUND WATER IX WATERBURY AREA, CONN. 

Naugatuck River receives all the drainage except that from a ^ery 
small area in the southern part of the town, which enters the Derhy 
reservoirs. About one-fourth of the town is wooded, the timbered 
areas including most of the northeast quarter and some of the slopes 
in the southeast and northwest quarters. 

WATER-BEARING FORMATIONS. 

Bedrocks. — The Prospect granite gneiss and the Orange phyllite 
(p. 9) compose the rock floor of Ansonia. These rocks are dense, 
and it is only through their ramifying system of joint cracks that they 
are capable of furnishing moderate supplies of water (p. 17) . The bed- 
rocks are exposed in the hills and on some of the slopes, as indicated 
in Plate III, but exposures are not so numerous here as in Seymour. 

Till. — Unstratified mixtures of clay, sand, gravel, and bowlders 
deposited by the last retreating glacier constitute the rock cover on 
the hills. It ranges in thickness from a few inches to 30 or 40 feet 
and yields moderate domestic water supplies where the thickness 
exceeds 10 or 15 feet (p. 11). 

Stratified, drift. — Stratified deposits, consisting of poorly sorted sand 
and gravel, occur along the river, and a few small deposits are found 
in the valleys in the eastern part of the town. The stratified deposits 
along Naugatuck River are capable of yielding supplies to shallow 
wells, but the deposits in the eastern part of the town, on account of 
their topographic position and their small extent, are not important 
as water-bearing formations (p. 13). 

SURFACE-WATER SUPPLIES. 

Surface waters are used to a moderate extent both for power and 
for domestic consumption. The brook that rises in the southeast 
corner of Seymour and joins Naugatuck River at Ansonia is the 
principal source of the Ansonia supply. The Ansonia Water Co. 
maintains an ice pond on this brook near Ansonia, and not far below 
it is a dam that furnishes power for the Cook machine shops. A dam 
in Naugatuck River just north of the Seymour line diverts water into 
a power canal which, together with a dam at Ansonia, furnishes power 
for factories in the city. A site for a small storage reservoir near the 
headwaters of Twomile Brook is said to be regarded by the Ansonia 
Water Co. as a possible additional source of supply for the city. 

According to tests of monthly samples from Naugatuck River at 
Ansonia made by the Connecticut State Board of Health from 1894 
to 1897 the water of that stream contains an average of 54 parts 
per million of total solids, 1 6 parts of which is volatile matter and 
3.8 parts is chlorine, and has a total hardness of 14 parts and a 
color of 39 parts. 1 

1 Compiled from data in annual reports of the State Board of Health of Connecticut for 1894-1897. 



ANSONIA. 41 

GROUND- WATER SUPPLIES. 

The 11 dug wells which were examined range in depth from 11 to 
35 feet and average 19 feet. The depth to water ranges from 9 to 29 
feet and averages 16 feet. Most of the wells are of the ordinary 
open type, walled with cobblestones, and equipped with a rope and 
bucket lift. The supplies obtained from these wells are generally 
adequate for ordinary domestic needs. Only one of the walls is said 
to fail, but it is probable that failures would be more common if the 
city water were not so generally available. 

Six drilled wells were examined, three of which were said to be 70 
feet deep. The meager data in regard to these wells are given in the 
table on page 43. 

Owing to the small area of Ansonia and the possible extension of 
the public water systems, it is not likely that private ground-water 
supplies for domestic use will be in great demand. It is probable 
that if new developments are undertaken because of its low cost the 
dug well will continue to predominate. In all parts of the town 
outside that represented by the dotted area in Plate III till or rock, 
or both, will be encountered in sinking a well. Water will be obtained 
at a depth of about 5 to 20 feet, except on some of the steepest drift- 
covered slopes, where the depth may in some places exceed 20 feet. 
The rock surface is very uneven and may be encountered at any 
depth below the ground, but where the depth is less than 10 feet it 
would usually be more economical to drill a well than to dig one. 
The amount of water available by means of dug wells will generally 
be adequate for ordinary domestic needs. In the area of stratified 
drift (PL III) shallow dug wells are very likely to be contaminated, 
and if private supplies are desired they should be obtained by means 
of drilled or deep-driven wells. 

On account of the thinness of the drift most drilled wells draw 
their supplies from the bedrocks. Supplies from this source vary 
largely in quantity, and the success of any particular well can not 
be predicted. However, most of the drilled wells furnish ample 
supplies for domestic needs, so that it is reasonably safe to invest 
in drilling if that kind of a supply is desired. 

Driven or drilled wells ending below the river level in stratified 
deposits would doubtless yield large supplies, but if the draft were 
heavy and continuous it is probable that sooner or later contami- 
nated water from Naugatuck River would be drawn from the wells. 

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES. 

Ansonia is supplied with water by two private companies. The 
Fountain Water Co. supplies that part of the city lying west of 
Naugatuck River and the Ansonia Water Co. supplies all of the 



4*2 



LXK WATER IX WATERBURY AREA. CONK. 



si tf the river. The works of the Fountain Wat include 

a reservoir in Derbv. from wliicli water is delivered bv oravitv. 

The Ansonia Water I f which Theodore L. Bristol i dent 

ami F. J. Davis Buperintending engineer, has one high-pressure 
«r, one low-pressure reservoir, and one distributing reservoir. 
Hie high-pressure reservoir covers 4M acn - - ontroUed by a ma- 
sonry dam 20 feet high at levation of 326 feet ah level. 
f Jim i.i tiic [gallons, and affords a pressure of 90 
pounds in the city. The low-pressure reservoir is controlled by a 

3onry dam 15 feet high at an elevation of 138 feet above 
level and furnishes 20 pov. sure in the city. Its .city i- 

33.000,000 gallon-. The distributing reservoir i- 266 feet above sea 

ntrolled by an earth dam. with masonry spillway 
high, giving a pressure of about 60 pound-. Its rapacity is 12.000,000 
gallon-. There are 19 miles «>f mains. 102 hydrants, and about ! 
service connections. 

The maximum daily consumption is " >0,000 gallons and the aver- 
age daily consumption 1,250,000 gallon-. About 10.500 peo] 
supplied, and when, at the end of the - son, no shortage is antici- 
ter is supplied for industrial uses. The cost of construc- 
tion was aboul S'2 0, the cost of operation about $450 ($456.04 
in 1912 . and of maintenance $2,600 ($2.600.S7 in 1912 . The 
one is about - 500. Charges are based on both meter and 
flat rate-. The supply i- adequate for the present, and plans are 
in hand f<»r an extei- an when that bei g 9sarv< 



RDS »F WELL-. 



Information ruing dug and drilled wells in Ansonia is pre- 

sented in the following tables: 

Dug irdh Am 



M,; 
No.o 


Tw-rw^^i™ Elevation 
?E^£ above 1 Depth, 
portion. ;sealeveL | 


Depth 
to 

water. 


Elev 

of water 
table 
above 

sea leveL 


Cover. 


Remarks. 


1 
- 

4 
' 

1 

9 
12 
15 


Feet. 

Hfll 260 

Hfll 

Slope 155 

Flat 14-3 

Slope 345 

Slope 315 

slope 125 

Slope 390 

Slope 340 

Hfll.. 410 


Feet. 
35 
12.5 

12.9 

12.0 

14.0 

16.0 

11.2 

30 

30 


20 
9.2 

U r- 

- 
11.2 
15.5 
10.0 


240 
216 
134 
132 

-' 
303 
111 

i 
330 


Mesh. 

Lattice 

Latti: .. 
Closed 

Open 

' ■: Mi 

Open 


12 feet to rock. 

Use city water larp*- 

■ Xot used. 
t ' » not over 10 gallons a day. 


17 


Slope 340 


a ■-. 


311 


Mesh 


Well fafls; brook water u>ed. 



« See PI. UI. in pocket. 



t Depth reported. 



BEACON FALLS. 
Drilled wells in Ansonia, Conn. 



43 



Map 
No. 



S 

10 
11 
13 
14 
16 



Owner. 



Bergin 

J. G. Timdey 
James Winn. 
C. C. Ford... 

McC'retv 

William Ellis 



Topo- 
graphic 
position. 



Hill 
Hill 
Flat 
Hill 
Hill. 
Hill 



Elevation 

above 
sea level. 



Feet. 
375 
400 
320 
410 
420 
390 



Depth. 



Feet. 
70 



Diame- 
ter. 



Yield 

per 

minute. 



Inches. 



&70 
b70 



Good.... 



Low 



Cost. 



?1.50 per foot.« 



a Does not include cost of casing. 

& Drilled from bottom of dug well 30 feet deep; 30 feet to rock; drilled about 1893. 

BEACON FALLS. 

POPULATION AND INDUSTRIES. 

Beacon Falls is in the west-central part of New Haven County, 
on Naugatuck River. It is reached by the Naugatuck division of 
the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad and by the Derby 
division of the Connecticut Co.'s Electric Railway. It was separated 
from Bethany, Oxford, Seymour, and Naugatuck and incorporated 
in May, 1871. Its area is 10 square miles. 

The population of Beacon Falls in 1910 was 1,160. In 1880, 1890, 
and 1900 it was 379, 505, and 623, respectively. The principal 
industries are agriculture and the manufacture of rubber boots and 
shoes, small hardware, and bronze panels. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

Beacon Falls extends across the valley of Naugatuck River. The 
highest elevation is in the northwest corner of the town, where 
Toby's Rock Mountain reaches an elevation of 730 feet above sea 
level. The lowest elevation, about 110 feet, is at the point where 
the river crosses the south boundary. The valley floor is narrow 
and is less than 2 square miles in area. The slopes and the hills in 
the eastern half of the town are all wooded. 

The Naugatuck passes through the middle of the town and receives 
all the drainage. It is joined at Beacon Falls village by Hocanum 
Brook which rises in the western part of Bethany. 

WATER-BEARING FORMATIONS. 

- Bedrocks. — The Hoosac ("Hartland") schist and the Prospect and 
Thomas ton granite gneisses (p. 9) underlie Beacon Falls and arc 
exposed in bare cliffs on both sides of Naugatuck River as well as on 
the steep slopes in other parts of the town. The bedrocks are too 
dense to afford large water supplies, but moderate supplies can be 



44 GROUND WATER IX WATERBURY AREA, CONN. 

obtained from wells which intercept water-bearing fissures in the 
rock. (See p. 17.) 

Till. — The unconsolidated surface deposits in all the upland parts 
of the town consist of mixtures of gravel, sand, and bowlders with 
some clay or rock powder, which were laid dowm as the last glacial 
ice melted. The material as it occurs in these deposits is called till. 
It ranges in thickness from a few inches to 25 or 30 feet, and mod- 
erate supplies of water for domestic purposes are obtained from the 
shallow wells which penetrate it. (See p. 11.) 

Stratified drift. — Sand and gravel are found in the valley at the 
village of Beacon Falls. (See PL III.) The thickness of the deposit is 
not shown by data collected in this locality, but in Waterbury and 
in Seymour similar deposits have thicknesses of more than 100 
feet. * (See p. 14.) 

SURFACE-WATER SUPPLIES. 

The factor}^ of the Beacon Falls Rubber Shoe Co., at Beacon Falls, 
is operated almost entirely by water power. Steam engines have 
been installed for use in emergencies, but the river is seldom so low 
as to necessitate their use. A storage reservoir belonging to the 
Seymour waterworks is situated on the west border of the town 
northwest of Pines Bridge. 

GROUND- WATER SUPPLIES. 

Eight dug wells examined in Beacon Falls range in depth from 9 
to 27 feet and average 17 feet. Depth to water ranges from 7 to 18 
feet and averages 13 feet. Most of the wells in this town draw 
their supplies from the till. The yields are low but adequate for 
ordinary domestic needs. Few wells are situated in the stratified 
deposits because the Seymour water system extends up the valley 
and supplies that part of the town which is underlain by the strati- 
fied drift. 

Data obtained in regard to four drilled wells are given in the table 
on page 45. 

In all parts of the town except the area represented by the dotted 
pattern on Plate III, till or rock will be encountered at the surface, 
and owing to the general thinness of the drift, dug wells will gener- 
ally reach or even penetrate the bedrock. Drilled wells must be 
expected to draw their supplies from the rock, and they are likely 
to be more economical than dug wells where the drift is less than 
about 10 feet. Dug wells 20 to 30 feet deep are likely to obtain 
supplies adequate for ordinary domestic needs (see p. 36), and where 
it is possible good results may be expected from the siphon equipment 
described on page 39. 



BEACON FALLS. 



45 



In the area underlain by stratified deposits (See PL III) drilled 
or deep-driven wells should furnish large supplies, but it is possible 
that impure water will be obtained if the wells are pumped hard, 
because the principal source of recharge is Naugatuck River. 

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES. 

There is no generally distributed public water supply, but a main 
which extends from the works of the Seymour Water Co. to Beacon 
Falls supplies part of the water used by the Beacon Falls Rubber 
Shoe Co. and a few houses in the immediate vicinity of the rubber 
mill. 

RECORDS OF WELLS AND SPRINGS. 

Information concerning wells and springs at Beacon Falls is given 
below. The map cited is Plate III, in pocket. 

Drilled wells in Beacon Falls, Conn. 



Map 
No. 


Owner. 


Topo- 
graphic 
position. 


Eleva- 
tion 
above 
sea level. 


Depth. 


Diam- 
eter. 


Yield 

per 

minute. 


1 


R. A. Rice 


Flat 

Slope 

Flat 

Slope 


Feet. 
395 
360 
270 
300 


Feet. 

55 

50 

90 

a 130 


Inches. 
6 
6 
6 
6 


Gallons. 
25 


2 


Arthur Faetch 


4 


7 


Beacon Falls Rubber Shoe Co 




8 


do 


1.6 









a 20 feet to rock. 
Dug wells in Beacon Falls, Conn. 



Map 
No. 



Owner. 



Daniel Edwards.. 



Topo- 
graphic 
position. 



Hill.. 
Slope 
Slope 
Flat. 
Flat. 
Slope 
Slope 
Hill.. 
Slope 



Eleva- 
tion 

above 
sea 

level. 



Feet. 
400 
350 
340 
210 
240 
220 
350 
350 
240 



Depth. 



Feet. 
17.2 
18.3 
14.7 
19.4 
16.3 
9.0 



27.3 
16.9 



Depth 
to 

water. 



Feet. 
16.0 
17.4 
12.5 
15.5 
11.2 
6.0 



18.2 
7.8 



Eleva- 
tion of 
water 
table 
above 

sea 
level. 



Feet. 
384 
333 
317 
194 
229 
214 



332 
232 



Cover. 



Closed... 
Open . . . 
Closed... 
Open . . . 
Closed... 
Open ... 
Open . . . 



Remarks. 



Fluctuation, 12 feet. 
Well fails. 



Well fails. 



Springs in Beacon Falls, Conn. 


Map 
No. 


Owner. 


Topo- 
graphic 
position. 


Elevation 

above sea 

level. 


Tempera- 
ture. 


4 


Cornelius Munson 


Flat 


Feet. 
300 
215 


° F. 

54 


12 













46 GROUND WATEB IN WATERBURY AREA, CONN. 

MIDDLEBURY. 
POPULATION AND INDUSTRIES. 

Middlebury, in the northwestern part of New Haven County, is bor- 
dered by Woodbury, Watertown, Waterbury, Naugatuek, Oxford, 
and Southburv. It is reached by electric railway from Waterbury 
and Woodbury, which operates on a 15-minute schedule during the 
summer season and on an hourly schedule during the winter. The 
town was organized from parts of Woodbury, Southbury, and Water- 
bury and was incorporated in 1807. Its area is 19 square miles. 

The population in 1910 was 836, or practically the same as a 
hundred years ago. The slight fluctuations in population from 1810 
to 1910 are shown in the accompanying table. The principal industry 
is agriculture. 

Population of Middlebury, Conn., 1810-1910. 



Year. 


Population. 


Increase. 


Decrease. 


Year. 


Population. 


Increase. 


Decrease. 


1810 


847 
838 
816 
761 
763 
664 


Per centi 


Per cent. 


1870 


696 
687 
566 
736 
836 


Per cent. 
5 


Per cent. 


1820 




1 
3 

7 


1880 


1 


1830 




1890 




18 


1840 




1900 


30 
14 




1850 


0.3 


1910 




1860 


13 













TOPOGRAPHY. 

Middlebury is hilly but much less rugged than adjacent river towns. 
The relief is nearly as great but the slopes are more gentle and com- 
paratively few of them present bare rock surfaces. The lowest 
elevation is on the east border of the town, where W T elton Brook 
crosses the line at an elevation of about 350 feet above sea level. 
The highest elevation — 900 feet — is between Middlebury Center and 
Quassapaug Lake. As indicated on Plate III, the slopes and narrow 
valleys are generally wooded, but the broad hilltops are for the most 
part cultivated. 

The principal streams are Hop Brook, Long Swamp Brook, Mes- 
chapock Brook, Long Meadow Brook, and Eightmile Brook. These 
are all small streams, having their heads in Middlebury, and all 
discharge into Naugatuek River except Eightmile Brook, which 
empties into Housatonic River. The town is not thoroughly drained, 
as is indicated by the appearance on the map (PL III) of several 
swampy areas, and Long Meadow Pond and Quassapaug Lake. 
Quassapaug Lake is endowed with considerable natural beauty and 
it is utilized as a summer resort. 



M1DDLEBURY. 47 

WATER-BEARING FORMATIONS. 

Bedrocks. — Middlebuiy is underlain by crystalline rocks which, 
on the basis of lithologic differences, have been separated by the 
Connecticut Geological Survey into two formations and named the 
Waterbury gneiss and the Thomas ton granite gneiss (p. 9). Crys- 
talline rocks are not porous enough to allow free circulation of ground 
water, and consequently wells drilled into them must depend for their 
supplies on water-bearing fissures which they may intercept. This 
accounts for the wide range in the yields of different wells and for 
occasional dry holes in close proximity to good wells. (See p. 17.) 

Glacial drift. — The bedrocks are overlain by a mantle of glacial 
drift consisting of till (p. 10), with a very few local deposits of 
coarsely stratified sand and gravel. The thickness of the drift 
ranges from a few inches to 30 or 40 feet, and averages about 20 
feet. The occurrence of water in unconsolidated deposits is dis- 
cussed on page 11. 

GROUND- WATER SUPPLIES. 

The depth to water, as determined by measurements of 28 dug 
wells, ranges from 3 to 25 feet and averages 9 feet. The wells range 
in depth from 9 to 3 1 feet and average 1 7 feet. All of the dug wells 
examined are in till and five of them go dry during dry seasons, but 
in general their supplies are adequate for domestic needs. 

Eight drilled wells were examined in this town, which range in 
depth from 47 to 558 feet and average 166 feet. The yields range 
from 1.5 to 20 gallons per minute. 

RECORDS OF WELLS AND SPRINGS. 

Data in regard to wells and springs are given in the accompanying 
tables. 

Dug wells furnish good supplies for domestic purposes in all parts 
of the town where the thickness of the drift is more than about 
10 feet. The amount of waer available depends to some extent on 
the thickness of the drift, and where this is less than about 10 feet 
it is likely to be more economical to drill into the rock. In many 
places it will be possible to use the siphon well described on page 39. 

Good domestic supplies may be obtained from drilled wells ending 
in the rock, but large yields should not be expected from single 
wells. (See p. 17.) 

The wells and springs are numbered on Plate III (map in pocket) 
as indicated in the first column of the table. 
98200°— wsp 397—16 4 



48 



tiKOUND WATER IN WATERBURY AREA, CONN. 

Dug wells in Middlebury, Conn. 



Map 
No. 



l 

8 

4 

8 

10 

13 

n 

is 

17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
24 
25 
27 
28 
32 
33 
34 
35 
36 
37 
38 
39 
•10 
11 



Owner. 



A. J. Abbott... 

Nichol Ferrante 
Nichol Ferrante 











Elevation 


Topo- 


Elevation 




Depth 
to water. 


of water 


graph ie 


above 


Depth. 


table 


position. 


sea level. 




above 










sea le vol. 




F((t. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Hill 


580 


27.2 


20.2 


560 


Flat 


540 


13.4 


8.0 


532 


Hill 


715 


30.3 


12.9 


732 


Slope 

Hill 


760 




7.0 


753 


560 


14.5 


10.7 


549 


Slope... 


580 


17.8 


10.0 


570 


Flat 


560 


11.5 


3.5 


556 


Flat .... 


530 


18.8 


10.5 


519 


Flat 


500 


10.0 


5.0 


495 


Flat 


480 




3.0 


477 


Flat 


420 


13.8 


6.0 


414 


Flat 


400 


14.7 


9.4 


391 


Slope... 
Hill 


680 


9.9 


4.6 


675 


675 


13.5 


7.2 


668 


Hill 


740 


31.0 


15.0 


725 


Hill 


660 


11.0 


5.2 


655 


Hill 


710 


20.1 


8.4 


702 


Hill 


710 


11.0 


5.6 


704 


Hill 


840 


29.9 


25. 3 


815 


Hill 


820 


9.0 


2.9 


817 


Slope.. . 


560 


19.6 


6.6 


553 


Hill 


520 


31.4 


19.6 


500 


Flat 


460 


13.4 


6.8 


653 


Slope.... 


500 


12.0 


10.5 


489 


Flat 
Hill 


555 
660 


10.6 
15.8 


4.1 

8.7 


551 
651 


Slope 


710 


16.2 


11.9 


698 


Slope 


710 


9.0 


3.7 


706 



Cover. 



Closed... 

Open 

Open 

Open 

Open 

Open 

Open 

Closed... 

Open 

Closed . . . 

Open 

Open 

Open 

Open 

Closed . . . 

Closed."."". 
Closed — 
Open 

ClosedV.'l 

Open 

Closed . . . 

Closed — 
Open. . .. 
Open. . .. 



Remarks. 



Not used. 
Fails. 



Not used. 



Fails. 



Fails. 
Fails 
Not used. 



Fails. 



Drilled wells in Middlebury, Conn. 



Map 
No. 


Owner. 


Topo- 
graphic 
position. 


Elevation 

above 
sea level. 


Depth. 


Diam- 
eter. 


Yield 

per 

minute. 


Remarks. 


2 


T. L. Atwood 

W. H. White 

W. H. White 

Ford 


Slope 

Slope 

Hill 

Hill 
Hill 
Flat 

Slope 

Hill 
Flat 
Flat 
Flat 


Feet. 
755 
760 

800 

840 
825 
700 

700 
700 
800 
800 
835 


Feet. 
47 
186 

158 


Inches. 


Gallons. 


Use 500 gallons a day 


5 

6 

11 


6 

6 


20 
1.5 


6 gallons a minute was 
capacity of pump. 
Water 'stood at 27 
feet below surface 
after 8 hours pump- 
in?. 

Well abandoned after 
shooting. 


12 


Carter 










16 

23 

26 


Westover School 

D. M. Atwood 

Wm. Davis 


558 
82 


(a) 

6 
6 
6 
6 
6 


& 1,000 
4 


Yield inadequate: well 
abandoned; drilled 
in 1907; cost S4 ,080. 


29 
30 
31 


Alida Allerton 

Alida Allerton 

H. C. Bronson 


115 

81 

100 


2 
4 
3 





a 10 inches to rock and 8 inches in rock. & Per day. 

Springs in Middlebury, Conn. 



Map 
No. 



Topographic position. 



Top of slope. 
Slope 



Elevation 

above 
sea level. 



Feet. 
820 
700' 



Temper- 
ature. 



54 



Yield 

per 

minute. 



Gallons. 

Low. 

2 



Remarks. 



Covered. 

Piped across road to 
house but not used. 



GROUND WATER IX WATERBURY AREA, COXX. 



49 



NAUGATUCK. 



POPULATIOX AXD INDUSTRIES. 



Naugatuck is in the northwestern part of New Haven County on 
Naugatuck River. It is reached by the Naugatuck division of the 
New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, which has stations at 
Naugatuck and Union City; by the Highland division of the same 
railroad, which has a flag station at Allerton Farms; and by the 
Derby division of the Connecticut Co.'s Electric Railway. The 
town was organized from parts of Waterbury, Bethany, and Oxford, 
and incorporated in May, 1844. It has an area of 17 square miles. 

In 1910 the population was 12,722. The table presented below, 
which gives the population in each decade from 1850 to 1910, shows 
a rapid growth in recent years accompanying the growth of the city 
of Waterbury. The chief industries are agriculture and the manu- 
facture of india-rubber goods, knit underwear, malleable iron, but- 
tons, copper and brass plating, chemicals, gas and electric fixtures, 
and cut-glass ware. 

Population of Naugatuck, Conn., 1850-1910. 



Year. 



Population. Increase. 



Year. 



Population.] Increase. 



1850 1,720 

18)0 2,590 

1870 2,830 

1880 4,272 



Per cent. 



51 

9 

51 



1890 
1900 
1910 



6,218 
10,541 
12,720 



Per cent. 



45 
70 
21 



TOPOGRAPHY. 

Naugatuck River passes through the middle of the town, receiving 
all the drainage, and this stream together with its tributaries, Long 
Meadow Pond Brook, Beacon Hill Brook, and Spring Brook, has 
deeply dissected the surface, producing an average relief of about 400 
feet. The highest elevation — 850 feet — is on Huntington Hill, in 
the southwest corner of the town. The lowest elevation is 170 feet, 
where Naugatuck River crosses the south boundary. The upper 
parts of the slopes and the lower hills are wooded, but the tops of the 
higher hills and the lower parts of the slopes are clear and to some 
extent cultivated. 

WATER-BEARIXG FORMATIOXS. 

Bedrocks. — The rock formations which underlie Naugatuck are the 
Waterbury gneiss, the Hoosac ("Hartland") schist, and the Thomas- 
ton granite gneiss (p. 9). These are metamorphosed rocks of igneous 
and sedimentary origin, and are too dense to allow giound water to 
circulate freely, but they are cut by numerous fissures some of which 
contain water (p. 17). 

Till. — In all the upland parts of the town till (p. 10) is the rock 
cover. It ranges in thickness from a few inches to 30 or 40 feet and 



50 GROUND WATER IN WATERBURY AREA, CONN. 

has an average thickness of about 15 feet. The occurrence of water 
in till is discussed on page 11. 

Stratified drift — Naugatuck Valley and the valley of Beacon Hill 
Brook contain deposits of sand and gravel. These deposits are nar- 
row but they may be as much as 100 feet thick in some places. The 
occurrence of water in stratified deposits is discussed on page 11. 

SURFACE-WATER SUPPLIES. 

Water power is used to a large extent by the mills and factories of 
Naugatuck and Union City. Power dams are situated on Long 
Meadow Pond Brook, Beacon Hill Brook, on the brook which flows 
through Union City, and on Naugatuck River. A small storage 
reservoir of the Naugatuck waterworks is situated just west of Union 
City. 

GROUND- WATER SUPPLIES. 

Seventeen dug wells, which range in depth from 8 to 27 feet and 
and average 17 feet, show depths to water ranging from 2 to 26 feet 
and averaging 1 1 feet. One of these wells, near the top of Andrews 
Hill at an elevation of about 650 feet above sea level (No. 9, PL III), 
is subject to a fluctuation in the water level of about 17 feet, but it 
has never been dry. All of these wells are in till, and only one of them 
is likely to fail in dry seasons. (See table, p. 51.) 

In those parts of the town which are underlain by till good domestic 
supplies may be obtained from dug wells, provided the till is more 
than about 10 feet thick. Where the rock lies within about 10 feet of 
the surface satisfactory dug weils are likely to be more expensive than 
drilled wells, and the chances of obtaining good supplies are probably 
better in drilling. Siphon wells (see p. 39) are successfully used along 
Beacon Hill Brook and they could be used to advantage in other parts 
of the town where dwellings are situated near drift-covered slopes. 
The stratified deposits in the valleys would yield large quantities of 
water, but if they were subjected to heavy drafts their supply would 
probably be replenished to some extent from Naugatuck River. 

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES. 

The Naugatuck Water Co., of which D. P. Mills is president and 
E. C. Barnum general manager, furnishes water to the city of Nauga- 
tuck. The works include seven reservoirs, as follows: 

Naugatuck city reservoirs. Capacity, in gallons. 

Prospect reservoir 110, 000, 000 

Long Hill Brook reservoir 1, 500, 000 

New reservoir 500, 000, 000 

Candy Brook reservoirs (2) 5, 500, 000 

Distributing reservoir 7, 000, 000 

High-service (Mulberry) reservoir 11, 000, 000 

635, 000, 000 



OXFORD. 



51 



' Water is delivered by gravity under a pressure of about 110 pounds, 
through 40 miles of mains, supplying a population of about 10,000. 
The average daily consumption is between one and two million gal- 
lons, three-fourths of which is used for manufacturing purposes. In 
cases of emergency, water is pumped from Beacon Hill Brook by 
means of a Dean pump (steam) into the distributing reservoir. No 
germicidal treatment is used. Charges are based on both meter and 
flat rates. 

RECORDS OF WELLS. 

Information concerning wells in Naugatuck is presented in the 
following table. The map referred to is Plate III, in pocket. 

Dug wells in Naugatuck, Conn. 



Map 
No. 


Owner. 


Topo- 
graphic 
position. 


Elevation 

above 
sea level. 


Depth. 


Depth 
to water. 


Elevation 

of water 

table above 

sea level. 


Cover. 


2 




Hill 

Flat 

Slope 

Slope 

Flat 

Slope 

Flat 

Slope 

Hill 

Flat 

Slope 

Slope 

Slope 

Slope 

Slope 

Slope 

Flat 


Feet. 
520 
360 
290 
225 
330 
660 
700 
650 
330 
360 
455 
500 
630 
660 
375 
365 
330 


Feet. 
21.2 
17.4 
22.0 
23.0 
9.0 

a 14.0 
21.6 
20.0 
16.7 
17.5 
21.5 
12.0 
27.0 
19.0 
8.5 
10.0 

cl2.8 


Feet. 

13.9 

8.2 

17.8 

21.0 

4.4 

2.5 

6.5 

2.0 

9.0 

13.1 

20.5 

10.0 

26,4 

17'. 

5.0 

5.0 

11.8 


Feet. 
506 
352 
272 
204 
326 
657 
693 
6 648 
321 
347 
434 
490 
604 
643 
370 
360 
318 




3 




Open. 


4 




Closed. 


5 






6 






7 




Open. 
Closed. 


8 


W. E. Hunter 


9 


W. E. Hunter 


Closed. 


10 




Open. 


11 




Open. 
Mesh. 


12 




13 




Closed. 


15 




Open. 


17 




18 




Closed. 


19 




Closed. 


20 




Open. 







o Well goes dry. b Fluctuation, 17 feet. c Well not used. 

OXFORD. 
POPULATION AND INDUSTRIES. 

Oxford, in the northwestern part of New Haven County, is reached 
by the Highland division of the New York, New Haven & Hartford 
Railroad, which has a station at Towantic, and by highway from 
Seymour, which is on the Naugatuck division of the same railroad, 
and on the Derby division of the Connecticut Co.'s Electric Railway. 
Stevenson, on the Berkshire division of the New York, New Haven & 
Hartford Railroad, is one-third of a mile west of the western border 
and is the station and post office for that portion of the town. Oxford 
was taken from Derby and Southbury and incorporated in October, 
1798. The area of the town is 33 square miles. 

The population of Oxford in 1910 was 1,020. The following table 
gives the changes in population from 1800 to 1910, and shows that 
there was a gradual decline from 1830 to 1890, but a slight increase 
more recently. The principal industry is agriculture. 



52 GROUND WATER IX WATBEBUBY AREA, CONN. 

Population of Oxford, Conn., 1800-1910. 



Year. 


Population. 


lncr> 


Decrease. Year. 


Population. 


Increase. 


Decrease. 


1800 


1,410 
1,453 
1,683 
1,763 
1,626 
l,5§4 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


1860 


1,269 
1,338 
1,120 
902 
952 
1,020 


Per cat*. 


Per cent. 
8 


1810 


3 

15 
5 




1870 


6 








1880 


16 




1830 




1890 




19 


1840 


8 
4 


1900 


5 

i 




1850 




1910 













TOPOGRAPHY. 

Elevations in Oxford range from about 40 feet above sea level on 
Housatonic River at the south corner of the town to 890 feet on 
Woodruff Hill on the north boundary. The town is characterized 
by high, steep, wooded slopes, narrow valleys, and by the absence 
of level land. 

Housatonic River and Eightniile Brook form parts of the west 
boundary. Little River passes through the middle of the town, 
parallel to Housatonic River, and the headwaters of Long Meadow 
Pond Brook reach into the northeast corner of the town. These 
streams with their tributaries drain almost the entire area. A small 
area along the east border is drained by a small brook which joins 
Xaugatuck River at Pines Bridge in Beacon Falls. 

WATER-BEARIXG FORMATIONS. 

Bedrocks. — Oxford is underlain by crystalline rocks which, accord- 
ing to their lithologic characters, are recognized as three different 
formations. The most extensive of these is the Waterbury gneiss 
which underlies the west half of the town. The Hoosac (' 'Hartland") 
schist underlies all of the east half of the town except a small area in 
the southeast corner where the Thomaston granite gneiss appears 
(p. 9). These rocks are exposed at the surface on steep slopes 
throughout the town, and in the beds of most of the brooks. The 
occurrence of water in rocks of this character is discussed on page 17. 

Glacial drift. — The prevailing rock cover in Oxford 'is till, which 
consists of unassorted bowlders, gravel, sand, and rock powder, 
deposited by the last retreating ice sheet. This formation is gen- 
erally very thin and is irregularly distributed ; but it is, nevertheless, 
the most important source of ground water in the town, although 
only shallow well and spring supplies are obtained from it. Stratified 
drift occurs only in small patches along Little River and in the 
valley of Eightmile Brook north of Quaker Farms, where several 
small eskers extend into the valley. These stratified deposits, on 
account of their limited extent, furnish only shallow, domestic 
supplies. (Seep. 11.) 



OXFORD. 58 

SURFACE-WATER SUPPLIES. 

Water power is developed on Eightmile Brook at Southford and 
near Quaker Farms and on Little River at Oxford. There are 
several unused power sites, some of which seem to have been per- 
manently abandoned, on small brooks tributary to these streams. 
One of the reservoirs of the Seymour Water Co. is situated in this 
town. 

GROUND- WATER SUPPLIES. 

Sixty-one dug wells examined in Oxford range in depth from 7 
to 37 feet and average 17 feet. Depth to water ranges from 2 to 22 
feet and averages 9 feet — in 41 of these wells the depth to water 
is less than 10 feet. Practically all are in till, 10 are not used, and 
4 are said to fail in dry seasons. Samples of water were examined 
by the methods described in Water-Supply Paper 151 with the 
following results: 

Six springs were observed, all of which were small gravity springs. 
(See p. 55.) 

Eight drilled wells have depths ranging from 52 to 600 feet and 
yields ranging from 1 to 40 gallons a minute. The average depth is 
160 feet and the average yield is 12 gallons a minute. 

Stratified deposits in Oxford are so limited in extent that they 
are of little importance in determining the location of wells. Good 
water for domestic supplies is available in all parts of the town. 
Where the drift is more than about 10 feet deep dug wells generally 
furnish desirable supplies, but where it is thinner better wells are 
likely to be obtained by drilling. Supplies larger than those ordina- 
rily required for domestic purposes should not be expected from 
wells, because they are usually not available. But comparatively 
large supplies can be obtained from surface-water reservoirs, sites 
for which are numerous. 



54 



OUND WATEB IN WATERBUBY akka. CONN. 
RECORDS OF WELLS AND SPRINGS. 



Information concerning wells and springs in Oxford is given in the 
following tables. The wells and springs are numbered on Plate III. 

Dug wells in Oxford, Conn. 



Map 



owner. 



1 

3 
6 

: 
8 

10 
11 
12 
13 
14 

15 
17 
18 
21 

22 

23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
S 
29 
30 
31 
33 
35 
37 
38 
39 
■40 
41 
42 
43 
44 
45 
46 
47 
4n 
50 

■i2 
; 

54 
55 

•> 

:>< 
60 
61 
62 
63 

-.4 

65 
66 
68 

71 
72 
73 

74 



F. B. Wheeler. 



Franklin Nichols.. 



Topo- 
graphic 
posi- 
tion. 



Town w.-ll 
Towantie. 



B. T. Nash. 



Slope. 
Slope. 
Slope. 
Slope. 
Slope. 
Hill. . 
Hill.. 
Slope. 
Hill.. 
Flat.. 
Slope. 
Flat.. 



Eleva- 
tion 

above 
Baa 

level. 



J. B. Berrv. 



Flat.. 
Slope. 
Slope. 
Flat.. 
Slope. 



Slope. 
Hill. . 
Hill.. 
Slope. 
Hill.. 
Hill.. 
Slope. 
Slope. 
Hill.. 
Hill. . 
Flat.. 
Flat.. 
Slope. 
Flat.. 
Slope. 
Slope. 
Slope. 
Slope. 
Slope . 
Hill.. 
Slop 7. 
Slope. 
Flat.. 
Flat.. 
Slope. 
Sbpe. 
Flat.. 
Hill.. 
Slope. 
Flat.. 



Feet. 
60S 

630 
700 
455 
525 
670 
620 
550 
560 
565 
660 
640 

500 
570 
500 
600 
560 

600 
605 
605 
550 
610 
600 
500 
540 
625 
610 
360 
440 
360 
380 
350 
345 
380 
420 
460 
500 
495 
360 
355 
420 
660 
510 
295 
550 
98 
60 



Depth. 



Hill 


385 


Hill 


560 


Hill 


570 


Hill 


600 


Slope.... 


630 


Flat 


570 


Slope 


400 


•Slope 


605 


Slope.... 


530 


Flat 


360 


Slope.... 


430 


Slope.... 


380 


Slope.... 


270 


Flat 


200 


Flat 


200 



Feet. 
20.6 
14.4 
20.2 
10.6 
10.0 
18.1 
21.1 
16.4 
32. 3 
12.1 



9.2 

22.6 
15. 1 
11.4 
27.3 

25.1 
20.4 
26.4 

8.2 
13.6 
32.6 
12.1 
18.7 
27.7 
15.1 

8.5 
15.3 
11.3 
33.0 
16.6 
19.9 
27.2 
13.2 
10.6 
12.4 

7.7 
12.5 
10.8 
14.5 
29.2 
11.3 

9.6 
37.0 
22. 1 
32^0 

17.1 
11.9 
20.2 
17.9 
19.2 
13.0 
13.7 
13.2 
17.8 
11.8 
15.3 
12.4 
12.6 
19.6 
22.6 



Depth 

to 
water. 



Fat. 

13.0 

6.6 

9.3 

4.5 

4.5 

7.4 

16.0 

12.4 

12.2 

5.1 

5.7 

2.0 

4.8 
8.3 
9.2 
5.7 
22.3 

21.7 
3.2 
8.8 
2.9 
5.1 

13.8 
5.0 
9.1 

16.1 
7.2 
5.0 

11.2 
8.8 

18.3 

14.2 

15.6 

21. 
4 
6. 
5. 
3. 
6. 
4.7 
8.4 

15. 2 
6.7 
4.6 

18.8 

19.4 



1.0 

4.9 
7.4 
8.2 

7.3 

5.2 
5.0 

11.8 
9.0" 

13.3 
6.1 
7.0 

16.6 

13.5 



Eleva- 
tion of 

water 
table 
above 



592 
623 
691 
4.50 
520 
663 
604 

560 
654 
638 

495 
562 
491 
594 
538 

57S 
602 
596 
547 
605 
586 
495 
531 
609 
603 
355 
439 
351 
362 
336 
329 
359 
415 
454 
495 
492 
350 
350 
412 
645 
503 
290 
531 
79 



Cover. 



Remarks. 



377 
555 
562 
592 
623 
.562 
395 
600 
518 
351 
417 
374 
263 
183 
186 



Closed. 
Open. 
Open. . 
Open.. 
Open . 
Open. 
Open. . 
Open.. 
Open.. 
Open.. 
Open.. 
Open. . 

Closed. 
Open . . 
Open.. 
Open.. 
Open.. 

Open.. 
Open., 
Open.. 
Open . . 
Open.. 
Open . . 
Open.. 
Open.. 
Closed. 
Open.. 
Closed. 
Closed. 
Lot... 
Open . . 
Open.. 
Open . . 
Open.. 
Open.. 
Open. . 



Open.. 
Open... 
Open... 
Open... 
Closed.. 
Open... 
Open... 
Closed.. 
Open... 
Closed.. 

Closed.. 
Open... 
Open... 
Open... 
Open... 
Open... 
Open... 
Open... 
Open... 
Open... 
Open... 
Closed.. 
Open... 
Open... 
Open... 



Not used. 
Not used. 

Fails. 



Not used. 



Two houses sup- 
plied. 



Fail?. 
Fluctuation. 1: 

feet. 
Fails. 



Not used. 
Not used. 

Not used. 



Not used. 
Fails. 

Not used. 



Depth given as re- 
ported. 
Not used. 



Not used. 



SEYMOUR. 
Drilled wells in Oxford, Conn. 



55 



Map 
No. 


Owner. 


Topo- 
graphic 
position. 


Eleva- 
tion 

above 
sea 

level. 


Depth. 


Diam- 
eter. 


Yield 
per 
min- 
ute. 


Remarks. 


16 


M. J. Cassidv 


Hill 

Slope 

Hill 

Slope 

Flat 

Flat 
Hill 

Mill 


Feet. 
520 
495 
630 
470 
370 

385 
670 

580 


Feet. 
55 
52 
70 
58 
140 

175 

128 

600 


Inches. 
6 
6 
6 
6 
8 

8 


Gallons. 

1.5 

1 
20 
40 
17 

4 
4 

12 




20 
32 


Catherine Ff azer 

G. W. Cable 


2 feet to rock. 


36 
49 


R. L. Androus 

Mrs. Julia Sanford 

Chas. Davis 


20 feet to rock. 

10 feet to rock; 10-hour test for 
yield; well completed May, 
1910; cost of well, $640. 

100 feet to rock. 


67 


J.H.Hale 


10 feet to rock; well com- 


69 


C. M. Eckstrom 


pleted Sept. 1, 1905; cost of 
well, $540. 
40 feet to rock; cost of well, 
$3,600. 



Springs in Oxford, Conn. 



Map 
No. 


Owner. 


Topographic 
position. 


Eleva- 
tion 

above 
sea 

level. 


Tem- 
pera- 
ture. 


Yield 

per 

mmute. 


Remarks. 


4 


F. B. Wheeler 


Top of slope... 
Top of slope... 
Slope 


Feet. 
720 
690 
470 

80 
100 

60 


F. 
57 
56 


Gallons, 
a 0.5 
&3.0 
Low. 
Low. 




5 
19 


David B. Wheeler 




56 




Slope 




57 




Slope 


Delivered by siphon. 
Do. 


70 




Flat 





















o Well goes dry 



b Flow is constant. 



SEYMOUR. 



POPULATION AND INDUSTRIES. 

Seymour is in the western part of New Haven County on Housatonic 
and Naugatuck rivers. It is reached by the Naugatuck division of 
the New York, New Haven & Hartford Kailroad, and the Derby divi- 
sion of the Connecticut Co.'s Electric Railway. It was separated 
from Derby and incorporated in May, 1850. The area of the town 
is 15 square miles. 

The population of Seymour in 1910 was 4,786, a substantial increase 
over 1900. The population from 1850 to 1910 is shown in the 
following table: 

Population of Seymour, Conn., 1850-1910. 



Year. 



1850 
1870 
1880 



Population.' Increase. 



1,677 
2,172 
2,318 



Per cent. 



28 
7 



Year. 



Population. 



1890. 
1900. 
1910. 



3,300 
3,541 

4,786 



Increase. 



Per cent. 



42 

7 

35 



56 GBOUKD WATER IX WATERBURY AREA,, COXX. 

The principal industries are the manufacture of brass and copper 
goods, plush, hard-rubber goods, boring implements, edge tools, 
horseshoe nails, paper, telegraph cables, bicycle parts, and eyel 
an iron foundry, ami agriculture. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

Elevations in Seymour range from about 30 feet to 640 feet above 
sea level, the lowest elevation being at Housatonic River, in the 
southwest corner of the town, and the highest about a mile and a 
half north of that place, on Great Hill. Eastward from Great Hill 
the land slopes rapidly downward to Xaugatuck River, where the ele- 
vation is about 40 feet above sea level, and then rises rapidly to 500 
feet above sea level on the east border of the town. Most of the 
slopes are wooded but the hilltops are cultivated. 

Housatonic River forms a part of the western border and receives 
the drainage from that part of the town. Xaugatuck River, which 
flows through the town parallel to and about 2 miles from the east 
border, drains about two-thirds of the area. 

WATER-BEARIXG FORMATIONS. 

Bedrocks. — Hoosac (■"Hartland") schist and the Prospect granite 
gneiss (p. 9) comprise the bedrocks of Seymour and they are exposed 
at the surface on many of the steep slopes throughout the town. The 
Prospect granite gneiss is cut by a nearly vertical diabase dike which 
is about 40 feet wide. This diabase appears at the surface in a line 
parallel to and just east of Xaugatuck River and is locally called 
trap rock because of its similarity to the "trap rocks" of the Con- 
necticut River valley. Xone of these rocks is capable of furnishing 
a large supply of water, but the water-bearing fissures, which are 
numerous in all of them, afford moderate supplies to wells (p. 17). 

Till. — In all parts of Seymour' except the narrow valleys of Housa- 
tonic River, Xaugatuck River, and Bladens River, the rock is covered 
with unassorted sand, gravel, and bowlders of glacial origin. The 
maximum thickness of this material was not determined, but it 
probably does not exceed 30 or 40 feet and the average thickne- 
about 15 feet. Most of the domestic water supplies are obtained 
from shallow wells in the till (p. 10). 

Stratified drift. — The stratified deposits found along Housatonic, 
Xaugatuck, and Bladens rivers are narrow and discontinuous. 
Their occurrence throughout the Waterbury area suggests that they 
were deposited by the smaller tributary streams while the principal 
valleys were still filled with ice. The thickness of the fill in the middle 
of the valley is shown by the logs of wells Nos. 58 and 59 (p. 59), to 
be about 125 feet. The occurrence of water is discussed on pages 
11 and 14. 



SEYMOUR. 57 

SURFACE-WATER SUPPLIES. 

Bladens, Little, and Naugatuck rivers furnish power for mills and 
factories in Seymour. A mill at Squantuck obtains power from 
Fourmile Brook, and a dam in Naugatuck River about 2 miles south of 
Seymour diverts water into a power canal which leads to Ansonia. 
Some of the storage reservoirs of the Ansonia waterworks are situated 
in the southeast corner of the town. 

GROUND- WATER SUPPLIES. 

The depths of 49 dug wells in Seymour range from 6 to 45 feet 
and average 18 feet. The depth of the water table below the surface 
of the ground, as determined by measurements of 48 wells, ranges 
from 6 inches to 38 feet and averages 14 feet — in 20 wells it is less 
than 10 feet to water. Eight of the wells examined are subject to 
failure and six wells are not used. 

Six small gravity springs were observed, two of which are regularly 
used. 

The depths of four drilled wells range from 60 to 447 feet and 
average 210 feet. They yield from 1.5 to 90 gallons a minute and 
average 28 gallons. Two are used for domestic purposes, one for 
manufacturing, and one situated in a public park furnishes drinking 
water. (See table, p. 59.) 

Ground water for domestic use can be obtained from dug wells in 
all parts-of Seymour where the drift is more than about 10 feet thick, 
but where bedrock is less than that distance below the surface it is 
generally advisable to drill into the rock. Very shallow wells are 
not likely to be permanent and they are not desirable from a sanitary 
viewpoint. 

Shallow wells in the stratified deposits are especially liable to 
contamination on account of the topographic positions of these 
deposits and on account also of the greater density of population in 
the valleys underlain with stratified beds than on the till-covered 
uplands. Drilled or driven wells ending in gravel below the level 
of the river would probably furnish large supplies, but a large part 
of the water from this source would come from Naugatuck River 
because a heavy draught would soon exhaust the supply furnished 
from the narrow and steep slopes adjacent to the river. Larger 
supplies than those ordinarily required for domestic purposes should 
not be expected from wells in this area, although some drilled wells 
have furnished comparatively large amounts. 

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES. 

Seymour is supplied with water by a private company, of which 
Mr. D. A. Blakeslee, of New Haven, is secretary and treasurer. 
Very little information was obtained in regard to the system. It was 



58 



GROUND WATER IX WATERBURY AREA, CONN. 



said merely that the system comprises two reservoirs, and 55 public 
and 8 private hydrants. The water is delivered by gravity under a 
pressure of 100 to 120 pounds, and is sold at a flat rate, except to 
manufacturers, who pay on a meter basis. 



RECORDS OF WELLS AND SPRINGS. 



Information concerning wells and springs in Seymour is presented 
in the following tables. The map cited is Plate III, in pocket. 

hug wells in Seymour, Conn. 



Map 



7 
8 
9 
10 
II 
12 
13 
14 
15 
17 
is 
19 
30 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
29 
30 
31 



Owner. 



Wilson Ducklev. 





Eleva- 


Topo- 


tion 


graphic 


above 


position. 


sea 




level. 




Feet. 


Slope. . . 


90 


Flat 


60 


Slope 


560 


Hill 


650 


Slope 


5G0 



Hill 

Slope 

Slope 

Slope.... 

Flat 

Slope 

Flar 

Hill 

Hill 

Slope 

Hill 

Hill 

Slope 

Slope... 

Flat 

Flat 

Hill 

rim 

Slope.... 

Slope 

Slope. . . 
Flat 



32 Slope.... 

35 i Slope.... 

36 1 Slope.... 

37 Flat 

38 Slope.... 

39 Flat 

41 Slope.... 



42 
43 
44 

45 
47 
48 
49 
50 
51 
52 
53 

54 
55 
56 
57 



Flat. 
Flat. 
Flat. 



Flat.. 
Slope. 
Slope. 
Hill.. 
Hill.. 
Slope. 
Hill.. 
Hill.. 



Hill.. 
Slope. 
Slope. 
Slope. 



495 
430 
460 
210 
365 
520 
495 
505 
525 
375 
390 
300 
260 
120 
75 
75 
5.50 
520 
410 
280 
185 
80 
500 
300 
265 
220 
250 
165 
210 

185 
170 
155 

120 
230 
235 
270 
380 
380 
380 
400 

390 
340 
360 
320 







Eleva- 






tion of 




Depth 


water 


Depth. 


to 


table 




water. 


above 

sea 
level. 


Feet. 


Feet. 


Fid. 


45.3 


32.6 


57 


16.8 


9.5 

.5 


50 
559 


7.9 


185 


5.7 


044 


7.3 


.9 


559 


15.3 


7.5 


487 


11.7 


3.2 


427 


17.6 


9.2 


451 


16.3 


8.0 


202 


11.0 


6.0 


359 


9.8 


3.3 


517 


14.1 


12.5 


482 


29.1 


26.6 


478 


20.0 


12.2 


513 


22.5 


16.4 


359 


15.8 


25.3 


365 


7.2 


3.4 


297 


16.1 


13.6 


246 


21.1 


18.1 


102 


26.4 


22.6 


52 


23.7 


14.0 


61 


18.0 


9.7 


540 


18.4 


15.2 


505 


15.8 


5.8 


404 


10.6 


3.2 


277 


6.2 


3.1 


182 


18.1 


14.0 


60 


20.8 


20.2 


480 


17.5 


16.3 


2S4 


24.0 


22.0 


243 


18.1 


17.2 


203 


10.2 


8.4 


246 


9.0 


5.4 


160 


31.1 


Dry. 





20.1 


13.5 


171 


30.2 


27.9 


142 


37 9. 


30.6 


124 


42.6 


38.5 


81 


15.2 


14.5 


215 


10.3 


6.8 


226 


19.9 


12.1 


2.58 


9.0 


5.2 


375 


24.9 


22.5 


357 


14.6 


11.0 


369 


20.9 


19.9 


380 


15.0 


14.2 


370 


7.0 


2.0 


338 


21.0 


21.0 


339 


26.6 


26.0 


294 



Cover. 



Open . . 



Open . . . 

Open 

Open 

Open . . . 

Mesh 

Lattice.. 
Open. . . 
Open.... 
Closed.. 

Open 

Open.... 
Open . . . 

Mesh 

Mesh 

Open.... 
Open.... 
Open . . . 
Open. . . 
Open.... 



Closed . 

Closed . . 

Mesh 

Mesh... 

Open... 
Open... 
Open... 
Mesh... 
Open . . 
Open... 



Remarks. 



Open... 
Open... 
Open... 



Mesh 

Open 

Open 

Mesh 

Open 

Open. . . 
Open. . . 



Lattice. 



Surface drainage entering 
when well was meas- 
ured. 

Fails. 

Not used. 
Not used. 
Seldom used. 
Not u^ed. 
Fails. 
Unclean. 



Fails. 



Fails. 
Fails. 



Dry June to December 
each voar. 



Never less than 5 feet of 
water. 



Not used: pump city 
water from reservoir. 



Dry 2 months every year. 
Dry 2 months every year; 
not used. 



THOMASTON. 

Drilled wells in Seymour, Conn . 



59 



Map 
No. 


Owner. 


Topo- 
graphic 
position. 


Eleva- 
tion 

above 
sea 

level. 


Depth. 


Diam- 
eter. 


Yield 

per 

minute. 


Remarks. 


33 
34 
58 

59 


Smith Holbrook 

Joel Chatfield 

"Waterman Pen Co., 
H. P. and E.Day. 
Sevmour 


Hill 

Slope 

Flat 

Hill 


Flea. 

395 

370 
85 

155 


Feet. 

98 
60 

447 

234 


Inches. 

6 

8 

6 


Gallons. 
5 
18 

( a ) 

1.5 


26 feet to rock. 

128 feet to rock; cost of well, 

r2,159. 
230 feet to rock; cost of well, 

1841. 



a Yields 30 gallons at suction and 90 gallons at 70 feet. 
Springs in Seymour, Conn. 



Map 
No. 


Owner. 


Topographic 
position. 


Elevation 

above 
sea level. 


Temper- 
ature. 


Yield 

per Remarks, 
minute. 


1 


Sidnev Downs 


Slope 


Feet. 

80 
400 
305 
300 
255 
187 




Gallons. 


Converted to well. 


16 




Foot of slope.. 
Slope 






Pumped bv windmill. 


27 




57 


1 


Constant. 


28 




blope 




40 


Edmund Dav 


Slope 


55 
50 






46 


Arethusa Spring Water 
Co. 


Slope 


2 











THOMASTON. 



POPULATION AND INDUSTRIES. 



Thomaston is in the southeastern part of Litchfield County, in the 
Naugatuck Valley. It is reached by the Naugatuck division of the 
New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, which has stations at 
Thomaston and Reynolds Bridge; by trolley from Terry vills station 
on the Highland division of the same railroad, 1 mile to the village 
of Terry ville, thence 3 miles by stage; by trolley from Waterbury 
hourly. The town was separated from Plymouth and incorporated 
in May, 1875. It has an area of 12 square miles. 

The census reports show a very slow growth in population since 
the first enumeration in 1880, as indicated in the following table. 
In 1910 the population was 3,533. The principal industries are 
agriculture and the manufacture of clocks and watches, brass goods, 
cutlery, clock bells, etc. 

Population of Thomaston, Conn., 1880-1910. 



Year. 


Population. 


Increase. 


Year. 


Population. 


Increase. 


1SS0 


3,225 
3,278 


Pfr cent. 


1900 . 


3,300 
3.533 


Per cent. 
1 


1^90 


2 


1910 


7 









60 GBOUND WATBB IN WATERBURY AREA, CONN. 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

The highest elevation, 1,022 feet, is on Lattin Hill, near the north 
boundary of the town; the lowest — about 330 feet above sea level — 
is at the confluence of West Branch of Naugatuck River with Nau- 
gatuck River. These rivers occupy narrow valleys whose walls rise 
abruptly 400 to 500 feet and embrace practically tho entire area of 
the town. 

WATER-BEARING FORMATIONS. 

Bedrocks. — The rock floor is comprised of Waterbury gneiss, 
Thomaston granite gneiss, and a small body of amphibolite. These 
are crystalline rocks (p. 9), very dense in texture, and consequently 
poorly suited to furnish large quantities of water. Owing, however, 
to the intense fracturing which they have undergone water-bearing 
fissures are sufficiently numerous to afford moderate supplies to 
drilled wells. The occurrence of water in rocks of this character is 
discussed on page 17. 

Glacial drift. — Unstratified drift or till (p. 10) consisting of bowlders, 
gravel, sand, and rock powder constitutes the rock cover in all the 
upland parts of the town. (See PI. III.) Its thickness ranges from 
a few inches at the edge of rock outcrops to 25 or 30 feet and in all 
the deeper parts water may be obtained from dug wells. Stratified 
drift occupies the lowland adjacent to the rivers, as shown on Plate 
III, and ranges in thickness from a few feet to about 50 feet. The 
occurrence of water in unconsolidated deposits is discussed on page 11. 

SURFACE-WATER SUPPLIES. 

Power is developed on Naugatuck River at Thomaston; and the 
Wigwam reservoir of the Waterbury waterworks is situated on West 
Branch of the Naugatuck in the northwest corner of the town. 

GROUND-WATER SUPPLIES. 

Eighteen dug wells were examined in Thomaston ranging in depth 
from 10 to 30 feet and averaging 19 feet. Depth to water in these 
wells ranges from 2 to 16 feet and averages 8 feet. Most of the dug 
wells are in till and some of them doubtless penetrate rock, but no 
reliable information on this point is available. The annual fluctua- 
tion of the water level in one well was reported to be 14 feet and in 
another 8 feet. None of the wells examined have recently been dry, 
and the water supplied by all has been adequate for domestic needs. 

Nine drilled wells were visited, and these range in depth from 40 
to 338 feet and average 132 feet. Their yields, as determined by the 
drillers as the wells were finished, range from one-fourth gallon to 15 



THOMASTON. 



61 



gallons a minute, and average 5 gallons. The depths to bedrock 
range from 3 to 48 feet and average 14 feet. The cost of drilling 
was in most cases S3. 50 a foot, but for three of the wells the total 
cost was reported, as indicated in the table on page 62. A consid- 
erable amount of well drilling is being done in Thomaston, notwith- 
standing the fact that the public water supply is available. 

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY. 

The Thomaston waterworks were built by the Thomaston Water 
Co., a corporation, in 1880. The supply is obtained from springs and 
delivered by gravity from an impounding reservoir. The area of the 
reservoir is 40 acres and its capacity is between 80,000,000 and 
100,000,000 gallons. The pressure is 90 to 125 pounds. There are 
269 service connections and 50 fire hydrants. The use of meters is 
optional with the consumers but compulsory for the railroad company 
and town buildings. Twenty-nine are now in use. The consumption 
is not known. The flat rates range from $2 to $10, and the income 
for 1912 was $6,906.28. Mr. F. K. Koberts is secretary-treasurer. 

According to tests by the State Board of Health of six samples 
collected in 1904 the water supply of Thomaston has an average 
color of 30 parts per million and an alkalinity of 7 parts. 1 

RECORDS OF WELLS. 

Information concerning the wells in Thomaston is presented in the 
following tables. The map cited is Plate III, in pocket. 

Dug wells in Thomaston, Conn. 



Map 
No. 


Topo- 
graphic 
position. 


Elevation 

above 
sea level. 


Depth. 


Depth to 
water. 


Elevation 

of water 

table 

above 

sea level. 


Cover. 


Remarks. 


1 
2 


Hill 

Slope 

Hill 

Hill 

Slope 

Slope 

Hill 

Hill 

Hill 

Slope 

Slope 

Flat 

Flat 

Flat 

Flat 

Flat 

Slope 

Slope 


925 

740 
810 
920 

440 
400 
800 
965 
900 
795 
675 
480 
480 
410 
370 
390 
460 

360 


Feet. 
22.3 


Feet. 

7.3 

10.0 
5.0 
7.1 

16.9 
7.0 
5.8 
2.1 

10.0 
5.8 

14.3 
7.9 
6.9 
8.5 

17.0 

13.8 
2.0 

7.2 


Feet. 
918 

730 
805 
913 

423 
393 
794 
963 
890 
789 
661 
472 
473 
401 
353 
376 
458 

353 


Open 

Closed .... 

Open 

Closed 

Closed. . .. 

Open 

Closed. . .. 
Close 1 
Closed. . .. 

Closed 

Open 

Closed 

Open 

Closed 

Closed 

Open 

Closed 

Open 


Lowest on Nov. 5, 1913; at that 
time contained 3 feet of water. 


3 
4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

22 

23 

25 

26 

27 

28 


10.7 
20.3 

23.3 
13.9 
15.4 
24.6 
41.0 
14.0 
23.6 
14.1 
16.0 
14.0 
19.3 
17.5 
10.0 

30.0 


2.5 feet of water at lowest stage 
in 1913. 

Use 35 gallons a day. 
Not used. 

Not used. 

Not used. 

Supplies nine families; fluctua- 
tion, 8 feet. 
Fluctuation, 14 feet. 



1 Connecticut State Board of Health Ann. Rept. 1904, p. 225. 



62 



GROUND WATER IX WATERBURY AREA, CONN. 
Drilled wells in Thomaston, Conn. 



Map 

No. 


Owner. 


Topo- 
graph- 
ic po- 
sition. 


Eleva- 
tion 

above 

sea 
level. 


Depth. 


Diame- 
ter. 


Yield 

per 

minute. 


('<»!. 


Remarks. 


13 
14 

15 
16 


Seth Thomas Clock 

Co. 
W. T. WoodruiT 

Louis SchiappicnsM'. . 
Alfred Holm 


Flat.. 
Slope. 

Flat.. 
Slope. 
Flat.. 
Flat.. 

Flat.. 
Flat.. 
Flat.. 

Flat.. 


Feet. 
460 

580 

400 
420 
400 
375 

400 
410 
380 

400 


Fat. 
338 

330 

87 

65 

50 

110 

40 
55. 5 

110 


Inches. 
8 

8 

6 
6 
6 

8 

6 
6 

8 

6 


Gallons. 
8 

6 

15 

1 

2 


$1,788 

$1,596 

*3.">(). per foot 
$3.">o per foot 
13.50 per foot 


3 feet to rock. 

6 feet to rock; com- 
pleted Dec. 1, 
1913. 

3 feet to rock. 

8 feet to rock. 


17 
18 


Robert Innes 

"Thomaston" 

Geo. Hosford 


4 feet to rock. 
Presented by W. C. 

T. U. 

5 feet to rock. 


19 


1 
10 


$3.50 per foot 
$3.50 per foot 


20 


do 


14 feet to ro p k. 


21 


S. H. Goodman 

R. S. Newton 


48 feet to rock - in- 


24 


i 

i 


$395 


complete. 
33 feet to rock. 









WATERBURY. 



POPULATION AND INDUSTRIES. 



Waterbury is in the northern part of New Haven County, in the 
Naugatuck Valley. It is reached by the Naugatuck and Highland 
divisions of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, which 
has stations at Waterbury and Waterville, and by the Meriden 
division of the same road, which has a station at Waterbury: by 
trolley from New Haven via Cheshire, and from New Haven and 
Bridgeport via Derby; by trolley from Woodbury, Middlebury, and 
Thomaston; by stage from Woodbury and Middlebury daily. The 
town was named in 1686. The town and city are consolidated and 
have an area of 29 square miles. 

The population in 1910 was 73,141. The following table shows the 
changes in population from 1756 to 1913. 

The principal industries are the manufacture of rolled and cast 
brass and copper, german-silver goods, lamp trimmers, boilers, but- 
tons, clocks, watches, plated wire, pins, eyelets, and buckles, electric- 
light and telephone wire, machinery, chemicals, etc., and agriculture. 
The city is the center of the brass industry in this country. 

Population of Waterbury, Conn., 175&-191S. 



Year. 


Population. 


Increase. 


Decrease. 


Year. 


Population. 


Increase. 


Decrease. 


1756 


1,829 
3,536 
2,240 
2,937 
3,256 
2,874 
2,882 
3,070 
3,668 


Per cent. 


Per cent. 


1850 


5,137 
10,004 
13, 106 
20, 270 
33,202 
51, 139 
73, 141 
a 81, 000 


Per cent. 
40 
95 
31 
55 
64 
54 
43 
11 


Per cent. 


1774 


93 




i860 




1782... 


36 


1870 




1790 


31 
11 


1880 




1800 




1890 




1810 


12 


1900 




1820 




1910 




1830 


6 
19 




1913 




1840 















a Estimated. 



WATERBURY. 63 

TOPOGRAPHY. 

The town extends across Naugatuck Valley and its topography is 
characteristically troughlike. The highest elevation — 920 feet above 
sea level — is in the extreme northeast corner, and the lowest, about 
220 feet, is on the river where it crosses the south boundary. The 
valley floor ranges in width from a few hundred feet at the south line 
to about a mile in the middle of the town, and from its edges the 
walls rise abruptly to elevations of 600 and 700 feet above sea level. 

Hancock Brook, Steel Brook, and Mad River join Naugatuck River 
within the town. 

WATER-BE ARIXG FORMATIONS. 

Bedrocks. — Crystalline rocks of three varieties — Hoosac O'Hart- 
land'') schist, Waterbury gneiss, and Thomaston granite gneiss, 
(p. 9) — comprise the bedrocks underlying the town. These rocks 
appear at the surface on the steep slopes in the south and east 
parts of the town and, except in the bottom of the valley, they are 
nowhere thickly covered by drift. The occurrence of water in crys- 
talline rocks is discussed on page 17. 

Glacial drift. — In the upland parts of Waterbury the rock cover con- 
sists of till or bowlder clay (p. 10) ranging in thickness up to 75 feet 
or more. On the flat lands along Naugatuck River the deposits are 
stratified and reach a thickness of over 100 feet in some places, as 
indicated by the log of a well drilled in the middle of the valley just 
south of the city, which reached bedrock at a depth of 1 1 1 feet below 
the surface. (See No. 5, p. 67.) The distribution of stratified and 
unstratified drift is shown on Plate III. The occurrence of water 
in unconsolidated deposits is discussed on page 11. 

SURFACE-WATER SUPPLIES. 

Water power is useH in manufacturing plants on Naugatuck and 
Mad rivers. Several reservoirs belonging to the city waterworks are 
in the town east of the river, as indicated on the map (PL III). 

GROUND-WATER SUPPLIES. 

The average depth of the water table below the surface of the 
ground, as determined by measurement of 22 representative dug 
wells, is 13 feet. (See table, p. 66.) These wells range in depth from 
7.1 to 39.9 and average 20 feet, the depth to water ranging from 3.5 
to 32.2 feet. The annual fluctuation of the water table in -one of the 
wells was reported to be about 13 feet. The average fluctuation, 
however, probably does not exceed 8 feet, taking into consideration 
the lowland areas in which changes in ground-water levels are rela- 
tively small. 

98200°— wsp 397—16 5 



64 



GROUND watki: in \v.\TKi;r,n; v auka. CONN. 



Eight drilled wells that were examined range in depth from 55 to 
550 feet and average 17."> feet. The yields reported for six of these 
range from 4 to 60 gallons a minute and average 16 gallons. Detailed 
information in regard to these wells is tabulated on page 67. 

The city water system extends to nearly all parts of the town and 
consequently there is little need for private dug wells. Drilled wells, 
however, are used by manufacturing companies to furnish water for 
drinking and for some special purposes in manufacturing, and they 
are used also in some parts of the city at higher elevations than those 
at which city water is effectively delivered. All wells are drilled into 
bedrock, even those located in the river valley, where the stratified 
stream deposits, are more than 100 feet thick. 

No attempt is made to obtain supplies from the drift itself because 
the till deposits are too thin and compact to furnish adequate supplies, 
and it is the popular belief that the water in the gravels near the river 
is contaminated. The problem of utilizing the underflow of the 
Naugatuck Valley is discussed on page 23. 

Analyses of the water of three drilled wells in Thomaston are 
given in the subjoined table; the numbers refer to the descriptions 
of the wells in the record on pages 66 and 67. Comparison of the 
analyses illustrates the difference in composition likely to be 
encountered in ground waters from fractured crystalline rocks. 

Analyses of water from drilled wells in Thomaston. 
[Parts per million. Samples collected June 24, 1915; R. B. Dole, analyst.] 



Xo. on map. a 



15 
19 
20 



Iron (Fe). 



2.9 

.2 

1.5 



Carbonate 
radicle 
(C0 3 ). 



0.0 
.0 
.0 



Bicarbon- 
ate radicle 
(HC0 3 ). 



Sulphate 
radicle 
(S0 4 ). 



Chlorine 
(CI). 



4.9 
48 
18 



44 
34 
20 



42 

s. 2 
6.8 



Total hard- 
ness as 
CaC0 3 . 



94 
M 

33 



Total solids 
at 1S0° C 



&292 
169 
99 



" See Plate III, in pocket; also record of wells on p. 66. 



6 Much organic matter present. 



PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY. 

The city engineer reported that the works include three reservoirs, 
two of which, Wigwam and Morris reservoirs, on West Branch of 
Naugatuck River, have areas of 105 and 150 acres and capacities of 
750,000,000 and 2,000,000,000 gallons, respectively. The water is 
supplied to about 70,000 people, the average daily consumption being 
about 7,500,000 gallons. The Morris reservoir was begun in 1909 
and was practically complete at the close of 1913. (See PI. III.) 

The average condition of the water of Fenn and Morris brooks at 
Waterbury is indicated in the following table, which gives the aver- 
ages of tests of 36 samples from each source examined by the State 
Board of Health between 1898 and 1901. 



WATERBURY. 



65 



Average quality of surf ace waters near Waterbury . a 
[Parts per million.] 



Source. 



Color. 



Total solids 
at 100° C. 



Organic 

and volatile 

matter. 



Total hard- 
ness as 
CaCOs. 



Chlorine. 



Fenn Brook . 
Morris Brook . 



43 
32 



48 

4s 



1.7 
2.3 



a Compiled from annual reports of the State Board of Health of Conr/eclicut, 1898-1901. 

According to Baker 1 the Waterbury waterworks were built by the 
city in 1868, and an additional supply was introduced in 1895. The 
supply is obtained from East Mountain Brook and West Branch of 
Naugatuck Kiver. For the fiscal year ending December 31, 1895, 
there is reported 38 miles of mains, 4,023 taps, 270 meters, and 230 
public and 50 private hydrants; and the consumption is given as 
4,000,000 gallons. 

The census report for 1911 gives the following financial data for 

1911: 

Revenue receipts $203, 952 

Payments for expense 32, 133 

Payments for outlays 320, 624 

Value of land, building, and equipment 2, 791, 720 

Debts incurred 1,560,000 

The following statement in regard to future developments is quoted 
from the annual report of the city engineer of the city of Waterbury 
for the year 1912 (p. 26): 

During the winter of 1911-12 some surveying was done on a proposed reservoir above 
the one (Morris) now being constructed. It was determined that such a reservoir 
could be made in the valley of Pitch Brook, which with a depth of water of 90 feet 
would store about 1,200,000,000 gallons and have an area of about 100 acres. 

Borings were made at an assumed site for a dam, and ledge was located all across 
the valley. Conditions favor the same type of construction as is being used at 
Morris dam. These surveys will probably be completed this winter and more accurate 
information obtained. 

During the past year the city has again very narrowly escaped a water famine, 
necessitating restrictions which were highly uncomfortable and inconvenient. For- 
tunately the immediate future will be free from these unpleasant experiences due 
to the bringing into use of Morris reservoir. The question to be considered, however, 
is for how long this increased supply will continue to be ample, and whether the 
construction of still another storage reservoir ought not to be undertaken in 1914, 
immediately after the completion of this one. 

In a report to the board of aldermen, dated October 7, 1912, by a committee 
appointed by that body, figures were presented showing conclusively that the West 
Branch watershed could fill another such reservoir, even in a year of minimum 
rainfall. It was also pointed out that the city was growing rapidly; that the con- 
sumption of water would increase from other causes as well as on account of such 



1 Baker, N. M., The manual of American waterworks, p. 83, 1897. 



66 



GROUND WATER IN WATERBURY AREA, CONN. 



growth; that it was very important for Waterbury to have reservoir capacity some 
yean ahead of its actual needs and that the construction of reservoirs, including 
preliminary engineering studies, the removal of legal obstacles, etc., takes several 
years. 

The conclusion reached by the committee was that a third reservoir on the West 
Branch watershed could wisely be undertaken as soon as Morris reservoir is com- 
pleted. If such construction is to begin in 1914, it will be necessary to undertake 
the preparation of plans early in the coming year. 

Assuming that three reservoirs are built on the West Branch with a combined 
storage of nearly 4,000,000,000 gallons, the city will have reached the limit of devel- 
opment on that watershed. It will then be necessary to obtain water from some other 
source. For various reasons it appears likely that the obtaining of rights to take 
water from new sources will hereafter be found increasingly difficult. It would be 
wise for Waterbury to give early attention to this matter and secure such rights now, 
without waiting until urgent necessity compels the acceptance of burdensome and 
expensive conditions. 

RECORDS OF WELLS AND SPRINGS. 

Information concerning the wells in Waterbury is presented in 
the following tables. The map referred to in the first column is Plate 
III, in pocket at end of volume. 

Dug wells in Waterbury, Conn. 



Map 
No. 


Owner. 


Topo- 
graphic 
position. 


Eleva- 
tion 

above 
sea 

level. 


Depth. 


Depth 

to 
water. 


Eleva- 
tion of 
water 
table 
above 

sea 
level. 


Cover. 


Remarks. 


1 




Slope 

Slope 

Hill 

Slope 

Slope 

Flat 
Hill 
Hill 
Slope 

Slope 

Slope 

Flat 

Slope 

Slope 

Hill 

Slope 

Slope 

Slope 

Hill 

Slope 

Slope 

Slope 


Feet. 
600 
530 
570 
525 
555 
570 
570 
900 
730 

655 
475 
500 
600 
500 
520 
520 
450 
515 
490 
530 
300 
260 


Feet. 
28.7 

12.0 
13.4 

24.7 
13.0 
19.0 

13.7 
20.4 
7.1 
15.2 
11.8 
24.9 
27.2 
21.2 
39.9 
25.0 
14.8 
30.1 
33.5 


Feet. 
4.3 
9.0 

10.5 
3.7 

12.4 
9.8 

20.0 
4.9 
8.0 

5.5 

9.1 

3.5 

9.8 

6.5 

22.5 

22.0 

15.5 

29.5 

18.6 

4.0 

24.9 

32.2 


Feet. 
596 
521 
559 
521 
543 
560 
550 
895 
722 

649 
486 
496 
590 
493 
497 
498 
434 
485 
473 
526 
275 
228 


Open 


Not used. 
Not used. 

Not used. 

Fluctuation 13 
fails. 

Not used. 

Not used. 
Not used. 




2 






7 




Open 

Open 

Open 




10 






14 






15 






16 




Open 

Closed . . 




17 






18 




feet; 


19 






21 




Open 

Closed... 
Open 




22 






23 






24 






25 








26 








27 




Open 

Lattice.. 
Closed . . . 
Closed... 
Closed... 
Lattice.. 




28 






29 






30 
32 


G. H. Reed 




33 













WATERTOWN. 
Drilled wells in Waterbury, Conn. 



67 



Map 
No. 


Owner. 


Topo- 
graphic 
position. 


Eleva- 
tion 

above 
sea 

level. 


Depth. 


Diam- 
eter. 


Yield 

per 

minute. 


Cost. 


Remarks. 


4 


Chas. Doll 


Slope... 
Flat.... 

Slope. . . 
Hill.... 
Hill.... 
Hill.... 

Slope... 
Flat.... 

Slope... 


Feet. 
670 
260 

670 
560 
540 
560 

540 
535 

400 


Feet. 

59 

166 

63 
55 

5oC(?) 

200(?) 
91 

216 


Inches. 
6 

8 

6 
6 
6 


Gallons. 
5 
60 

4 

7 




22 feet to rock. 


5 
6 


Manufacturer's Foun- 
dry Co. 
Chas. Reed 


a so 


Ill feet to rock. 


8 


Henry Joy 






9 


John Joy 






11 


Waterbury Countrv 

Club. 
R. A. Judd 








12 


6 
6 

6 




• 




13 


Harry "NVaterworth 

Perkins 


12 

8 




75 feet to rock; water 


20 




pumped from 80 

feet below surface. 

8 feet to rock; 14 feet 








of casing used. 



o Per foot. 



Springs in Waterbury, Conn. 



Map 
No. 


Owner. 


Topo- 
graphic 
position. 


Eleva- 
tion 
above 
sea level. 


Yield 

per 

minute. 


Remarks. 


• 3 




Slope.... 
Slope 


Feet. 
560 
515 


Gallons. 
(a) 
4 




31 




Covered; supplies horse trough. 







a Constant. 
WATERTOWN. 
POPULATION AND INDUSTRIES. 

Watertown is in the southeastern part of Litchfield County, in the 
Naugatuck River valley. It is reached by the Watertown branch of 
the Naugatuck division of the New York, New Haven & Hartford 
Railroad, which has stations at Oakville and Watertown, and by 
trolley from Waterbury. Post offices are maintained at Oakville 
and Watertown. It was separated from Waterbury and incorporated 
in 1780. The area of the town is 30 square miles. 

The population in 1910 was 3,850. The changes in population 
from 1782 to 1910 are shown in the following table. The princi- 
pal industries are agriculture and the manufacture of silk thread, 
umbrella trimmings, mouse traps, and general hardware. 



68 ,GBOUND WATER IN WATERBURV AREA, CONN. 

Population of Watertown t Conn., 1782-1910. 



Year. 



L782. 
L800. 



[Population. 


Increase. 


DeCD 


3,170 

1,714 
1,439 

1,442 


l\r . 


Prr cenf. 


l«; 




49 




16 


) 


4 





Year. 


Population. 


Increase, j 


1S50 


1,587 

1 . 698 

2. 323 


1'tT (flit. 

6 
4 

: 

12 
23 
33 

24 






1870 


L880 


1^90 


1900 


1910 



Decrease. 



J'tr ant. 



TOPOGRAPHY. 

Elevations in Watertown range from about 280 feet to a little over 
1,000 feet above sea level. The lowest point is on Naugatuck River 
in the southwest corner of the town, and the highest is in the north- 
west corner, about 1 mile north of Big Meadow Pond. The hilly 
character of the town and the distribution of woods is shown on 
Plate III. 

Naugatuck River and its west branch, which form the east bound- 
ary of the town, receive all the drainage except that from a small 
area in the northwest which contains the headwaters of Pomeraug 
River. 

WATER-BEARIXG FORMATIONS. 

Bedrocks. — Crystalline rocks of two varieties — Waterbury gneiss 
and Thomaston granite gneiss (p. 9) — compose the rock floor of 
Watertown. They are very dense in texture and consequently 
poorly suited to furnish large quantities of water. But they have 
been intensely fractured, and fissures which contain water are suffi- 
ciently numerous to afford moderate supplies to drilled wells. The 
occurrence of water hi crystalline rocks is discussed on page 17. 

Glacial drift. — Till constitutes the rock cover in all parts of the 
town except a narrow strip along Naugatuck River where the stream 
deposits are found. Till consists of mixtures of clay, sand, gravel, 
and bowlders, and was deposited by the retreating ice sheets at the 
close of the glacial epoch. In some places the till is about 100 feet 
thick, but in other places, as shown on Plate III, the bedrocks are 
exposed. (See p. 11.) 

GROUND- WATER SUPPLIES. 

Forty-six dug wells, ranging in depth from 6 to 29 feet and averaging 
16 feet, were examined. Depth to water in these wells ranges from 
2 to 23 feet and averages 7 feet. All the wells pass through till but 
at least three end in rock. Only four were reported to go dry, 
although seven of those examined have been abandoned. 

Springs are numerous along the brooks and hillsides throughout 
the town, but they are all gravity springs of low yield and the usual 



WATERTOWN". 69 

method of utilizing the flow is to dig a shallow well and install a pump 
or siphon. There has been little drilling in Watertown heretofore, 
but it is said that a considerable amount of this work is contemplated. 
A 6-inch well drilled for Albert Blakesley to a depth of 118 feet yields 
2 gallons a minute. It is situated at an elevation of about 880 feet 
above sea level and reached bedrock at 96 feet below the surface. 
The records of drilled wells in other towns of this area will serve to 
indicate the prospects for drilled wells in Watertown, since the occur- 
rence of water is uniform throughout the area. 

The following analysis represents a moderately mineralized but 
rather hard water containing almost no iron: 

Analysis of icater from dug well of J. H. Atwood, Watertown, Conn. 

[Sample collected June 24, 1915. No. 36 in record table (p. 70). R. B. Dole, analyst.] 

Parts per 
million. 

Silica (Si0 2 ) 10 

Iron (Fe) Trace. 

Calcium (Ca) 32 

Magnesium (Mg) 5 

Carbonate radicle (C0 3 ) - - .0 

Bicarbonate radicle (HC0 3 ) 60 

Sulphate radicle (S0 4 ) 25 

Chlorine (CI) 48 

Total hardness as CaC0 3 120 

Total solids at 180° C 291 

PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY. 

The Watertown Water Co., of which A. W. Wheeler is superin- 
tendent, supplies the village of Watertown. The works include an 
impounding reservoir in Bethlehem, 22 feet deep, with a capacity 
of 20,000,000 gallons, and a distributing reservoir holding 500,000 
gallons. Water is delivered b>y gravity through 13 miles of mains 
under pressures of 40 to 135 pounds. There are 53 hydrants belonging 
to the fire district, 4 private hydrants, and 278 service connections. 
There about 2,500 consumers and the average daily consumption is 
estimated to be 250,000 gallons. The following financial statement 
was furnished : 

Total cost of construction, estimated $68, 000 

Cost of operation, estimated 2, 361 

Gross income 6, 200 

Four meters are in use, the rate being 10 to 40 cents per 1,000 
gallons, but most of the supply is furnished at a flat rate, $8 a year 
being the minimum charge. 

It is said that the present supply is inadequate and that it is 
occasionally necessary to pump water into the mains from brooks. 
A supply several times as large as that now available is needed. 



70 



GROUND WATER IN WATERBURY AREA, CONN. 



According to tests made by the Connecticut State Board of Health 
of 12 samples from the city reservoir in 1901 the water supply has 
an average color of 57 parts per million, a total hardness of 20 parts, 
and an alkalinity of 23 parts and contains 63 parts of total solids, of 
which 25 parts is volatile matter. 1 



RECORDS OF WELLS AND SPRINGS. 



Information concerning the wells and springs in Watertown is 
given in the following tables. The map cited is Plate III. 

Dug wells in Watertown, Conn. 



Map 
No. 



2 

5 
6 

7 
8 
9 
L2 
13 
If) 
l(i 
17 
18 
20 
21 
24 
27 
28 
2!) 
30 
32 
33 
31 
3.") 
36 
3 s 
3!) 
40 
41 
42 
44 
4.") 
4S 
49 
50 
.'.2 
.5:', 
55 
58 

.71 
03 
HI 
65 
(if, 
(17 
68 

(19 
71 



Owner 



E. H. Peck... 



E. B. At wood. 



M.J. Scott.... 
"Ruby Farms" 



J. H. At wood. 



Thomas Lillis 



Topo- 
graphic 
position. 



Slope 

Hill 

Slope 

Slope 

Slope 

Slope 

Hill 

Slope 

Flat 

Hill 

Slope 

Slope 

Slope 

Slope 

Hill 

Slope 

Slope 

Hill 

Slope 

Slope 

Hill 

Hill 

Slope 

Hill 

Hill 

Slope 

Slope 

Hill 

Slope.... 
Slope.... 

Hill 

Hill 

Slope 

Hill 

Hill 

Hill 

Slope 

Flat 

Hill 

Slope 

Slope. 
Flat.. 
Slope. 
Slope. 
Flat.. 
Slope. 
Slope 



Eleva- 
tion 

above 
sea 

level. 



Feet. 
910 
790 
770 
785 
660 
750 
910 
890 
840 
860 
780 
670 
550 
740 
880 
840 
700 
750 
440 
550 
685 
670 
550 
760 
590 
740 
680 
700 
640 
540 
605 
650 
585 
765 
740 
660 
560 
755 
680 
710 
680 
590 
.640 
625 
530 
570 
620 



Depth. 



Feet. 
14.1 
19.7 
6.6 
15.6 
17.2 
14.8 
12.8 
10.2 
15.5 
26.8 



13.9 


11.6 


19.4 


7.0 


18.0 


25.0 


15.5 



11.9 
18.9 
22.0 
18.0 
16.3 
25.1 



9.3 
16.1 
18.0 
29.0 
17.7 



11.6 
16.7 
17.7 



11.4 
7.0 

10.9 
7.0 

12.5 



17.6 
17.5 



Depth 

to 
water. 



Feet. 

6.6 

2.8 

.9 

12.9 
5.3 
4.7 
3.2 
4.5 
2.1 
3.0 
7.3 

12.0 
2.9 
3.0 

13.5 
8.0 



14.0 

23.0 

8.4 

8.0 

8.7 

5.0 

8.7 

6.0 

4.7 

9.3 

7.1 

5.8 

4.1 

8.7 

13.0 

17.0 

5.6 

12.0 

6.0 

10.1 

11.5 

8.0 

3.8 

4.0 

7.2 

3.0 

3.7 

7.0 

9.0 

7.5 



Eleva- 
tion of 
water 
table 
above 

sea 
level. 



Feet. 
903 
787 
769 
772 
655 
745 
907 
885 
838 
857 
773 
658 
547 
737 
866 
832 



736 
417 
542 
677 
661 
545 
751 
584 
735 
671 
693 
634 
536 
596 
637 
568 
759 
728 
654 
550 
743 
672 
706 
676 
583 
637 
621 
523 
561 
612 



Cover. 



Closed . 
Open.. 
Closed. 
Open.. 
Closed. 
Closed. 
Closed. 
Closed. 
Closed . 
Closed. 
Open.. 
Closed. 
Closed . 
Open.. 
Closed . 
Closed. 
Closed . 



Closed . 



Open.. 
Open.. 
Closed . 
Closed. 
Closed . 
Closed. 
Closed. 
Open.. 
Closed. 
Closed. 



Closed . 



Closed . 
Closed. 
Open.. 



Closed. 
Closed . 
Open.. 
Closed . 



Closed. 
Closed . 



Remarks. 



Fails. 

Not used. 
Not used; fails. 

Not used. 

17 feet to rock. 

Depth to water reported. 

14 feet to rock. 
Fails. 



Use city water. 



11 feet to rock. 
Not used. 
Not used. 



8 feet square. 



Fails. 

Not used. 
Not used. 



Connecticut State Board of Health Ann. Rept., 1901, p. 263. 



WATERTOWN. 

Drilled ivells in Watertovm, Conn. 



71 



Map 
No. 


Owner. 


Topo- 
graphic 
position. 


Elevation 

above 
sea level. 


Depth. Diameter. 


Yield per 
minute. 


Remarks. 


23 


Albert Blakeslev 


Hill 
Slope.. . 


Feet. 
880 
560 


Feet. 
118 


Inches. 
6 


Gallons. 
2 


% feet to rock. 


46 


Chas. Abbott 




47 


Slope... 





















Springs in Watertown, Conn. 



Map 
No. 


Owner. 


Topographic 
position. 


Eleva- 
tion 

above 
sea 

level. 


Tem- 
pera- 
ture. 


Yield per 
minute. 


Remarks. 


1 




Top of slope.. 

Slope 

Slope 


Feet. 
920 




Gallons. 


Delivered to barn bv ram. 


3 






a 2. 5 
a. 5 

6 3.0 
•l 
2 




4 




920 


Not used; covered 


10 




Top of slope. . . 
Slope 


800 
800 
800 
685 
645 
850 
880 
470 
755 
655 
685 
610 
725 

795 

615 
675 
715 
660 


54 




11 




Not used; covered. 


14 

19 


E. B. Atwood.. 


Foot of slope.. 
Foot of slope.. 
Slope 




22 








Covered. 


25 




Slope 

Foot of slope.. 
Foot of slope.. 
Foot of slope.. 
Foot of slope.. 
Slope 








26 








5 feet deep; 0.8 foot to water; used. 
Used 


31 




54 


. 5 
a 1.0 

. 5 

&.5 


37 
43 


J. H. Atwood. . 




51 




Open. 


54 




Slope 


56 


Richenbach 


Slope 




( 6 ) 
a Low. 


Delivered to house and barn by grav- 
ity through 1 500 feet of pipe. 

Delivered to house and barn by 
siphon. 


57 


Top of slope... 

Foot of slope.. 
Slope 


60 




61 






(a) 
3 




62 




Slope 




70 




Slope 

















a Yield constant. 



6 Yield varies. 



% 



INDEX 



.Vmphibolite, description of 10 

Analyses of waters 64, 

Ansonia, description and industries of 39-40 

ground-water supplies in 41 

public water supply of 41-42 

records of wells in 42-43 

surface-water supplies in 40 

water-bearing formations in 40 

Ansonia Water Co., works of 42 

Beacon Falls, description and industries of 43 

records of wells and springs in 45 

sources of water in 43-45 

Brookline, Mass., municipal pumping plant 

at 24-26 

Brooklyn, N. Y., municipal pumping plant 

at 26 

Circulation of ground water 11-12 

Crystalline rock with water-bearing fissures, 

plate showing 18 

water in 17 

Diabase, description of 10 

Domestic water supply, springs as sources of. 29 

wells as sources of 29, 30-31 

Drainage, underground 11-12 

Evaporation, amount of 14-15 

Forbes, F. F., on the municipal pumping 

plant at Brookline, Mass 24-26 

Fountain "Water Co., territory of 41 

Geography of the Water bury area 7-9 

Geology of Waterbury 9-10 

Glacial drift, description of 10 

Hartland schist, description of 9 

Hoosac schist, description of 9 

Infiltration galleries, construction of 35-36 

uses of 23 

Middlebury, description and population of. . 46 

records of wells and springs in 47-48 

sources of water in 47 

Municipal water supply, quality needed in. . 19 

quantity required for 18-19 

sources of 20-28 

Xaugatuck, description and population of.. . 49 

public water supply of 50-51 

records of wells in 51 

sources of water in 49-50 

Naugatuck River valley, driven wells in 23 

Orange phyllite, description of 9 



I'age. 

( >\ lord, description and population of 51-52 

records of wells and springs in 54-55 

sources of water in 52-53 

Plainfield, N. J., municipal pumping plant at 27-28 

Porosity of the unstratified drift 11 

Prospect granite gneiss, description of 9 

Rainfall, record of 10 

Run-oil, sources of 14-17 

Seymour, description and population of 55-56 

public water supply of 57-58 

records of wells and springs in 58-59 

sources of water in 56-57 

Springs, yield of water from 21 

Storage basins, underground 16-17 

Stratified deposits, plates showing 10, 18 

Streams, municipal water supply from 20-21 

Thomaston, analyses of well waters from 64 

description and population of 59-60 

public water supply of 61 

records of wells in 61-62 

sources of water in 60-61 

Thomaston granite gneiss, description of. 9 

Till-covered area, plate showing 10 

Tribus, L. L., on the municipal pumping 

plant at Plainfield, N.J 27-28 

Water table, position of 12-13 

Waterbury, population and industries of 62 

public water supply of 64-66 

records of wells and springs in 66-67 

sources of water in 63-64 

topograph}- of 63 

Waterbury area, map of In pocket. 

Waterbury gneiss, description of 9 

Watertown, description and population of. . . 67-68 

public water supply of 69-70 

records of wells and springs in 70-71 

sources of water in 68-69 

Wells, drilled, construction of 31 

drilled, eost of 32 

improvement of ."" 33 

quality of water from 32 

water supplies from 21-22 

driven, construction of 33-35 

municipal water supply from 23-28 

quality of water from. 35 

dug, construction of 36-39 

water supplies from 22-23 

73 



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